More than £31,000 has been granted to three Forres organisations in the latest round of funding from the Berry Burn Windfarm community benefit fund, the last of 2024.
In total, thirteen projects received £81,493 helping to finance 13 projects spread across the designated fund area in Moray and the Highlands, bringing the total granted from the fund to more than £2m.
In Forres, the following organisations were granted funds:
- Leanchoil Trust – £11,450.00 for the commissioning of a Feasibility Study on the Nurses’ Home
- Royal British Legion Scotland (Forres) – £10,404.50 to update the internal fixtures and fittings plus decoration
- Forres Highland Games – £10,000.00 for the removal and replacement of asbestos cement roof sheeting on a storage shed
Applications received were for more than twice the amount of funds available, therefore it was not possible to help everyone, no matter how worthy the cause.
This latest round brings the total contribution to date towards local causes in the area from the Berry Burn Community Fund to £2,065,075.
Oversubscribed
Chair of the Berry Burn Community Fund, Harvey Morton, said: “As in previous rounds there were many good applications and the requested support far exceeded the funds available. It is always regrettable that the fund cannot meet all the applications for good projects that meet the criteria of BBCF.”
The Community Fund receives an index-linked annual budget of £246,964 from international renewables company Statkraft, whose 29-turbine Berry Burn wind farm lies between Forres and Grantown-on-Spey.
The fund is overseen by eleven volunteer fund members, living and working within its operational boundary which takes in the community council areas of Forres, East Nairnshire, Grantown-on-Spey, Cromdale and Advie, Speyside, Heldon, Findhorn and Kinloss, Finderne and Dyke Landward. This annual budget is spread over three awards rounds held during the year.
New members wanted
Vacancies exist for new members to be appointed to the Fund. Applications are invited from local individuals living in the Community Council areas listed above. The role is voluntary and no fee is payable. Legitimate travel expenses can be claimed. For a more detailed description of the Fund Member role, and application
form please see our website https://berryburncommunityfund.co.uk/documents/
The date of the next Berry Burn Community Fund awards meeting is 24th February 2025, with the closing date for applications 20th January 2025. All details of how to apply, application form,
Other funds granted in Round 32 (October 2024) – Total Funding Awarded: £81,493.04
- Rothes Way Association – £25,000.00 for the Macallan Brae section of the Rothes Way
- Grantown on Spey Golf Club – £5,681.00 to provide a unique golfing experience using Hickory Clubs
- Grantown Health Centre Equipment Fund – £5,000.00 towards the cost of additional furniture for patient areas following the refurbishment and extension to the Medical Centre
- 1st Grantown-on-Spey Guides (SCO 34835) – £5,000.00 to support members of their Guide unit to attend Girlguiding Scotland’s Amsterdam Adventure
- Grantown Grammar School Gardening Club – £2,433.54 to create a Science and Gardening Outside Classroom
- Brogan Hall – £2,189.00 for the purchase of an adapted trike
- Moray Competitive Athletics Hub – £2,000.00 to assist young athletes with travel expenses, footwear and membership fees for Aberdeen Amateur Athletics Club
- Abbigail Hollie Mitchell – £1,360.00 towards training expenses for a local junior competitive swimmer
- Charlotte Boyd – £575.00 for Singing Mama’s international training
- Elgin Amateur Swimming Club – £400.00 towards the purchase of new training equipment for all swimmers to benefit from.
Picture: The Leanchoil Trust received £11,450 for the commissioning of a Feasibility Study on the Nurses’ Home.
A huge thanks to the Berry Burn fund for this grant. The money will be used for a feasibility study into the future use of the nurses’ home to the rear of the main building. It’s a super property, and we need to assess its future use as accommodation for the key workers that will be needed at the same time as the supported accommodation gets constructed. All these studies and assessments go towards our planning application for the whole site, which we expect to be submitted in the Spring. Lots more information available at our Forres Town Hall event next Thursday at 4pm. New plans to show you, and an update on our progress.