Arran community groups receive welcome funding
Eight community groups and organisations on Arran have received funding from the latest round of North Ayrshire Council’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) Fund.
The funding is aimed at empowering community groups and organisations to make a positive difference in their communities and it has been running since 2016.
Arran beneficiaries include Kildonan and Kilmory Senior Citizens, Lamlash Events, Arran High School Mountain Bike Club and The Arran Pioneer Project CIC, which all received £1,200. Gallery Sometimes and the
The Isle of Arran u3a both received £500 while the Isle of Arran Music School received two allocations, one of £1,200 in the locality category and another of £400 in the arts and culture category. Usually candidates apply for funding and shortlisted groups and organisations are then put to a public vote to see who receives the funding. This year, however, owing to problems with public events, all of the shortlisted applicants received funding without a vote.
In total 153 community groups and organisations received a share of the PB fund which amounted to £160,000 and which came from North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership and the mental health and well-being recovery fund.
Rhona Arthur, North Ayrshire head of service (connected communities), said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that so many community groups have benefited in the council’s first round funding for 2022.
‘Participatory budgeting is all part of our commitment to enable local people while addressing inequalities so that we can improve services and continue to build strong and active communities.
‘Local people know the needs of their communities better than anyone else and they are at the heart of our PB approach as we develop future funding opportunities with the support of our six locality partnerships.
‘We are continually finding more ways of giving citizens of
PB a direct say in the council’s decision-making process and participatory budgeting is one of our most inspiring examples of this.
‘Thank you to all who had their say and decided on where the money would be best spent.
‘I have no doubt that each of the successful applicants will use their allocation to better their communities and look forward to seeing how we can work together to develop more opportunities to ‘shape North Ayrshire’ and build stronger, resilient and more connected communities.’