£475k investment for Western Isles
‘These projects will add to the growing green agenda in the Western Isles in the fight against climate change.’
Eight Western Isles projects have been successful with their applications for the Scottish Government’s £2 million Island Communities Fund.
Securing almost half a million pounds of investment, the largest of the awards made to island areas were: Clan Macquarrie Community Centre, The Hebridean Community Garden, Lewis, £48,361.40; Leverhulme Community Hub, Leverhulme Community Hub - Towards Net Zero Carbon, Harris, £36,330; Point and Sandwick Coastal Community Path SCIO, Shulishader to Flesherin link track and Path, Lewis, £80,920; Garadh a Bhagh a Tuath SCIO, Rays of Hope, Barra and Vatersay, £14,520; Keose Glebe Estate, The 80/90/100 Project, Lewis, £80,000; MacLeans Bakery Limited, Bakery Green Transport, Benbecula, £110,000; North Uist Distillery, Nunton Steadings' Journey Towards Carbon Neutral Status, Benbecula and North Uist, £49,310.17; and
Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, Ness Historical Society, A’ gluasad gu suidheachadh neodrach a thaobh carboin, Aiming for Carbon Neutrality, £56,411.75.
Councillor Donald Crichton, chairman of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Sustainable Development Committee, said: ‘This significant investment into the community and business sectors across the islands is welcome and I congratulate all the successful communities.
‘These projects will add to the growing green agenda in the Western Isles in the fight against climate change.’
MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar Alasdair Allan also welcomed the announcement. ‘The Western Isles have a wealth of fantastic businesses and organisations and I am pleased to see a significant proportion of the Island Communities Fund has been awarded to innovative projects all across our islands,’ he said. ‘Our island communities have a hugely important role to play in helping us achieve Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets and I congratulate those who have been awarded this funding which will enable them to develop and deliver their proposals over the next six months.
‘Each of these projects has the potential to have an enormously positive effect, supporting employment and community resilience through green economic initiatives.’
The Island Communities Fund is designed to support employment, community resilience and health and wellbeing in island communities.