Published Date: Dec 14th, 2023
Almost £900,000 of funding has been agreed towards 23 community projects thanks to approval from Fife Council's South and West Fife Area Committee members at their meeting yesterday (Wednesday).
An investment of £852,633 from the Community Recovery Fund will give a huge boost to innovative and ambitious local projects, from grassroots activities to large scale works.
Kingdom Off-Road Motorcycle Club was allocated £100k towards creating an off-road motorcycle track for young people and adults to enjoy in a safe, managed and friendly environment. A similar initiative has proved very successful in Cardenden and there is lots of evidence to prove this sort of facility can be a successful deterrent to anti-social behaviour. With backing from Police Scotland and groups working with local young people, the development would have the potential to create volunteering opportunities and hopefully employment opportunities in the longer term.
EATS Rosyth will use £100k of funding to build on a varied and popular programme of activities with a project worker and community gardener set to work in primary schools to develop a 'whole system approach' to eating fruit and vegetables with children and their families. Through engaging with children in school, this project can start to tackle the wider societal issue of creating dietary change and promoting locally sourced, healthy foods at an early age.
Funding was approved for a Fife Sports and Leisure Trust community wellbeing project. Outreach programmes, aligned with the four main community assistance hubs (Parkgate Community Centre, Inverkeithing Civic Centre, Oakley Community Centre and Valleyfield Community Centre) will provide local physical and wellbeing opportunities for those who ordinarily wouldn't have access to them. The free activities will be open and available to everyone but consideration will be given to those with limited mobility and classes will be specially designed to meet the needs of each community.
Many other projects will also now be delivered, thanks to funding awards of varying sizes, including:
- £9.5k for Simply Local Kincardine to expand their existing garden and welcome more members who can then grow their own produce.
- £18.6k for West Fife Woodlands volunteers to purchase large equipment that will help with their ongoing path and woodland maintenance work.
- £40k to establish Rosyth Men's Shed and help secure their own premises.
- £9.9k for Hillend Community Hub to secure land for a polytunnel, utility shed, benches and a picnic area, raised beds and an accessible garden area for residents and visitors to enjoy.
- £19.1k for Inverkeithing Scout Hall towards the cost of installing solar roof panels and helping their ambition to become carbon neutral.
- £50k towards the new pump track planned for Dalgety Bay.
As well as approval for the 20 projects to benefit from the Community Recovery Grant, £30,179 was also allocated from the Local Community Planning Budget.
A 'Bring the Brood' family learning programme will be delivered at Inverkeithing High School Community Use where families will be able to take part in crafts sessions, play sports and attending information workshops provided by various services. And £10k was awarded towards both an outdoor gym for High Valleyfield and a new woodland pathway that will link the villages of Saline, Oakley and Comrie.
Convener of Fife Council's South and West Fife Area Committee, Cllr David Barratt said: "This is quite a collection of creative, vibrant and innovative ideas that have been nurtured in our local towns and villages. They will undoubtedly help us to deliver on Fife Council's commitments in both the 'Plan for Fife' and the 'South and West Fife Area Local Community Plan'. It's a great mix of extending and complementing existing services, delivering something completely new or improving the local assets that we already have.
“Members of the committee are pleased to support these projects that are now set to make a real difference for the people they serve. And I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the many hard-working groups for their dedication in taking their ideas, often coming from community conversations, through to workable proposals that can now become a reality. They already do incredible work in their communities and we look forward to seeing the many positive impacts this latest range of projects will have."
Information on all 23 projects approved for funding is available in the committee papers.