Windfall means hall is on target for overhaul
Comrie’s Rural Hall is on target for a planned major overhaul to begin this summer.
The much-loved community venue’s trustees from the village’s Scottish Women’s Institute were delighted to reveal this week they have secured £66,868.37 from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund.
The sum is more than a quarter of the total of £232,000 needed to begin the refurbishment.
Along with other grants and donations the committee is on course for work to begin.
Joyce Carnegie, president of the trustees, said: “We are delighted to be awarded a CCF grant to install energy-efficient measures such as insulation, double glazing and LED lighting to help us tackle climate change.
“After the refurbishment we will also hold a series of workshops and films to help hall users and the community learn more about energy efficiency and sustainable travel options to reduce their carbon footprint.”
The fundraising drive to have the deteriorating hall refurbished began in the summer of 2015 and organisers hope work will begin in the next couple of months.
Mrs Carnegie added that they were still waiting for a LEADER grant to be put in place. Once that is finalised work will start in earnest.
Meanwhile, fundraising will continue towards other items for the hall.
David Gunn from Keep Scotland Beautiful said:“We congratulate Comrie Scottish Women’s Institute Hall Trustees for securing a grant award from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund and the European Regional Development Fund and encourage the local community to take advantage of support available through the Comrie SWI Rural Hall community energy project.
“We look forward to supporting the trustees as they implement their project and empowering many more communities to take action on climate change.
“We see it as part of our work to make Scotland clean, green and sustainable.”
The 2018-2020 Climate Challenge Fund is made up of £14.3 million from the Scottish Government and £1 million from the European Regional Development Fund.
It is managed and administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful and the Rural Hall grant also includes a maximum contribution of £22,768.80 from the European Regional Development Fund towards a community energy project for the building.
Run by the Rural Hall Trustees, this will see free workshops being offered to help people learn more about energy efficiency and sustainable travel options as well as supplying information on reducing energy costs and climate change.
The money will also go towards recruiting someone to run the workshops and energy efficiency programme. Trustees hope that the post could be advertised as early as next month.