Fife has successfully secured a total of £83,150 from the Scottish Government’s Towns and BIDs Resilience and Recovery Fund.
Last month, the funding was announced by Aileen Campbell, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government. Scotland's Towns Partnership administer the £1.7m fund with the aim of supporting localised COVID-19 resilience and recovery response projects.
Four projects across Fife have been awarded funding:
1 Fife Council Town Centre Restart Group - £50,000
- Gateway and information signage.
- ‘Love Fife’s Towns Again’, ‘We’re Back’ and ‘Buy Local’ campaigns.
- Hand sanitising stations.
- Volunteer street marshalls.
- A small business grant of up to £100 for purchasing PPE, protective screens, hand sanitiser and internal signage for small businesses.
- Purchase of portable decks/parklets as well as canopies/gazebos to support businesses moving to outdoor trading.
2 Love oor Lang Toun campaign and the ShopAppy Digital Market Place - £20,000
- Improve the digital infrastructure in Kirkcaldy town centre including addressing “blackspots” and increasing roaming ability.
- Town centre Click and Collect digital lockers.
- Provide advice, information, support and marketing to visitors and businesses by using social media channels for Kirkcaldy town centre.
3 Visit East Neuk - £10,200
Develop a unique community based digital platform and app. The app will provide benefits to all the East Neuk communities as well as visitors to the area.
4 Kincardine application made by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust - £2,950
- Physical distancing and public health infrastructure.
- Outdoor protection and hand sanitising equipment.
- A Kincardine ‘Love Local’ message, including branding to be developed.
Welcoming the funding, Cllr Altany Craik, Convener for Economy, Tourism, Strategic Planning & Transportation Committee said: “Receiving this funding is an extra boost for Fife’s economy. It will support the implementation of new measures for town centres, addressing immediate concerns and helping our communities recover.
“As we slowly come out of lockdown it’s vital we support our local communities to safely reopen our high streets and recover from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. The steps we take to restore our town centres must be flexible, allowing them to respond quickly to any future changes.”
Roger Brown, Acting Chair of Visit East Neuk, said: “This project will provide an opportunity for all East Neuk residents, community organisations and businesses to benefit from a single information source. It will provide a convenient facility for residents and visitors to tap into the wealth of services, interests and activities the East Neuk has to offer."
Nicky Wilson, Trustee of Coalfields Regeneration Trust, said: “As we already know, former mining communities are amongst the most disadvantaged in Scotland, so it is critical that we secure as much support as possible at this challenging time for local economies. The Kincardine project supported by the BID fund will allow us to create branding for a Love Local campaign and also provide support to local businesses as they seek to make adjustments in line with covid-19 guidelines, including the introduction of physical distancing and additional sanitising measures. We look forward to continuing to support our communities with this crucial funding package.”