Community projects receive £1,460,888 from Scottish Land Fund
The future of a community cinema in Helensburgh has been secured following a grant of £205,900 from the Scottish Land Fund.
The Venue @ Saint Columba Limited will use the money to acquire part of St Columba’s Church which formerly housed the Tower Digital Arts Centre. The group will take over the existing building, offering an affordable and accessible cinema and arts venue for the whole community.
The grant is one of 11 totalling £1,460,888 announced today by the Scottish Land Fund.
Other groups receiving funding to pursue their community ownership ambitions include South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust, which has been awarded £357,705 to purchase The Tomb of the Eagles Visitor Centre. The Tomb of the Eagles (aka the Isbister Chambered Cairn) on the southern tip of South Ronaldsay, the cairn, the Liddle burnt mound, the visitor centre, an uninhabitable residential property, twelve agricultural buildings, together with land and access strips along the coast to the sites, are included in the sale. SRBDT will look to reopen the visitor attraction, providing employment, volunteering opportunities and economic benefits, with a view to further develop the asset over a 10-year period.
And Cranhill Development Trust has been awarded £43,888 to acquire a former blaes football pitch of a demolished school in Cranhill, Glasgow. The group will expand their existing community garden across the currently vacant and derelict site and provide a space for community growing, biodiversity education and social integration.
The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2021. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to acquire and develop their assets for over a decade.
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary, Rural Affairs, and Islands, said: “To date the Scottish Government has invested more than £50 million through hundreds of awards through the Scottish Land Fund to help communities develop facilities they need. These latest groups to share the funding show the incredible mix of how this support can be used to offer social, sporting and wellness spaces and support the development of much-needed affordable housing options.”
Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “These grants reflect the inspiring diversity of projects that community ownership can help to deliver in both urban and rural areas. With their awards, these groups will be able to deliver projects with direct benefits to their communities, as well as positive cultural, social, and economic impacts for Scotland as a whole.”
Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, said: “The successful projects announced today across Scotland are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities. For example, the South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust in Orkney will re-open the visitor centre and Neolithic site, which serves as an important tourist attraction for the island. This will provide employment and volunteering opportunities and will strengthen the local economy.
“All these projects announced today will help retain the population, attract visitors, and create jobs. Ownership will give the community groups greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come. We wish all the successful groups the very best in their new ventures.”
Brian Sayer, Chair, The Venue @ Saint Columba Limited said: “Our dedicated Steering Group were absolutely delighted when it was confirmed that we had been awarded the grant from the Scottish Land Fund. This grant will enable us to complete the purchase of the building that we will develop into our fabulous cinema and arts centre and we are very grateful to the team at SLF which guided us through the whole process.”
Steve Sankey, Chair, South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust Tomb of the Eagles Community Development Group, said: “Naturally, we are delighted, not only with the size of the award at over £350,000 but with its innovative nature. It’s been a long road, and we’re grateful to SLF, the owners, and all our partners that have got us this far. We believe it to be the first time that a Scottish community has tried to acquire an Ancient Monument in Guardianship, and we’re justifiably proud of that aspiration. This SLF award takes us a long way towards our goal of community acquisition, and although we’re not quite there yet, we’re optimistic that other award partners will shortly come together and enable us to buy and then reopen this world-famous site.”
And Fiona Duncan, Health and Wellbeing Lead, Cranhill Development Trust, said: “Cranhill is a community with a large proportion of vacant and derelict land, and support from the Scottish Land Fund will bring some of this land back into community use. The expansion of Cranhill Community Gardens to include additional food growing sites, biodiverse plantings, and nature-based play and learning spaces will not only increase opportunities for producing nutritious, low-mileage food as a local intervention in the global food supply chain, but will increase safe and welcoming opportunities for building relationships with nature, each other, and ourselves. We aim to ensure that the land becomes a hub for community-led activities, such as food growing, skill-building, and social events, all of which are co-designed and co-delivered with local residents and stakeholders.”
Other groups receiving funding are:
Cairnbaan Community Trust (originally An Tàlla Carn Bàn)
Award £134,796
Cairnbaan Community Trust (CCT) will purchase two buildings in the centre of Cairnbaan, Mid-Argyll which will be redeveloped to create a community hub which will be used to provide community connection and wellbeing. The buildings will include visitor information, pop-up café, desk and room rental, and potentially a gym/wellbeing space.
St Monans Auld Kirk Enterprise
Award £171,741
St Monans Auld Kirk Enterprise (SMAKE) will purchase the Grade A-Listed St Monans Auld Kirk in St Monans, Fife from the Church of Scotland. The group will develop the asset into a multi-use social hub and café for the community as well as a space to hold life events such as weddings.
Lismore Community Trust
Award £83,596
Lismore Community Trust will acquire a development plot of land in the village of Achnacroish, located on the Isle of Lismore. The group will provide the community with affordable housing in the form of two new-build semi-detached three-bedroom homes for rent.
Friends of Portnahaven Church
Award £85,990
The Friends of Portnahaven Church (FoPC) will acquire Portnahaven church through a negotiated sale from the Church of Scotland (CoS) and convert it into a flexible space for group gatherings, activities, exhibitions, and life events.
Raasay Development Trust
Award £137,000
Raasay Development Trust (RDT) will acquire two terrace houses in Inverarish on the Isle of Raasay. The group will redevelop the houses which have the potential to become a two and three bed property, respectively. The houses will be used to create affordable rented accommodation for the community.
The Brunswick Community Development Trust Ltd
Award £65,000
The Brunswick Community Development Trust (BCDT) will purchase the Brunswick Community Centre (BCC) in Balornock, Glasgow they have operated from for over 20 years. They will continue to deliver a community-led social, sports, health, and wellbeing hub, benefiting the local community by securing the ownership which will allow them to maintain and develop the facility.
Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust
Award £166,722
Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust (KLCT) will purchase two parcels of land at Ratagan and Saraig, Lochalsh, from Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) through Community Asset Transfer (CAT). KLCT will provide woodland crofts, two business units, a community growing space, and a campsite.
Whitsome Village Hall SCIO
Award £8,550
Whitsome Village Hall SCIO (WVH) will acquire the amenity land in Duns on which the village hall, known as The Ark, is built. They will continue to operate the hall that they own, safeguarding the shop and post office which they also operate from the building.
