Villagers get lotto windfall for 13-day event
Community groups in Renfrewshire are sharing a bumper £24,000 from the National Lottery Awards for All.
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival is receiving the lion’s share of the cash with £9,000 to help organisers put on a 13-day multi-cultural, multiarts festival in the village.
This year’s event featured performances from a talk from world- renowned author Christopher Brookmyre; a comedy night from A Buddy Good Laugh; a performance from the RSNO brass quintet and a concert by the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra and Renfrewshire Community Gospel Choir as well as art and photography exhibitions, craft fairs, pottery and jamming sessions in village pubs.
Festival organiser Morag Thow said: “We are delighted to get the Big Lottery funding for our 18th annual Lochwinnoch Arts Festival.
“We have had two previous grants but this is by far the largest.
“The funding ensures we can have more events and have a few headline acts too.
“In addition, one of our main aims is to keep the prices low so that as many people in and around Lochwinnoch can access the arts.
“We are a relatively isolated community with very poor public transport, thus going to local larger towns and cities like Paisley and Glasgow can be very expensive and difficult for many resident in our village.
“The funding also gives us a chance to showcase our local artists and run a number of come and try events too.”
Paisley- based Flexi- care fundraising forum has been given £5,000 which they plan to spend on offering water and outdoor sports to people with learning disabilities throughout Renfrewshire.
Howwood Community Council has received £5,000 which it plans to spend on tidying up a local piece of greenspace, while Barrhead Resource Centre has got £ 5,000 to spend on taking youngsters to Castle Semple to take part in sailing, canoeing, photography walks and cycling activities.
A National Lottery Awards for All spokesperson said: “No matter how big or small the award, there is something for everyone in this latest round of National Lottery grants.
“Each group will use its funding to bring people together to share new skills, make friends and to become more connected to services and activities in their local area. We look forward to seeing the impact of this funding.”
National Lottery Awards for All Scotland is now more straightforward to apply to and faster to get funding from.
Applications are received on a rolling basis and can be received at any time. To find out what National Lottery Awards for All Scotland could do for your community, go to the website www.biglotteryfund. org.uk/awardsforallscotland or call 0300 123 7110.