The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Charity receives £12,500
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Work in Aberdeen will commence today, after the city council was awarded a £1.76m grant from the fund earlier this week.
Created in partnership with the NHS and other bodies such as the police and the Disability Equity Partnership, the council’s plan for Aberdeen involves major changes to how people travel in the city.
Traffic around the city centre will be rerouted to free up carriageway space for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.
Many areas around the heart of the Granite City have pavements that are not wide enough to accommodate two metre physical distancing requirements, such as on Union Street, and so paths in certain areas will be expanded.
Because the works are temporary, the changes to roads and pavements will be marked out with temporary barriers, signs, and paint in some areas.
Councillor Jenny Laing, co-leader of the city council, said: “The temporary active travel measures will help to look after the health and wellbeing needs of residents to let people walk and cycle during this public health emergency – while physically distancing and keeping safe from traffic.
“These temporary interventions will also allow people to move safely around the city centre which will help to start the social and economic recovery of the region.”
Changes will also be coming to areas outwith the city centre such as Torry, Culter and Cults.
Meanwhile, Aberdeenshire Council has put in an initial £310,000 application to the Spaces for People fund.
Priority is being given to implementing changes in the centres of Banchory, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Peterhead and
Stonehaven. The measures for these communities include wider pavements, waiting restrictions, road restrictions and closures, and the reduction of speed limits.
Ewan Wallace, head of transportation for the council, said: “The priority will be to ensure people are able to access our town centres safely while adhering to physical distancing guidelines.
“In particular, officers are looking at interventions that can be applied to main town centres to ensure that there is sufficient space to allow for queueing at shops and bus stops whilst maintaining passage by pedestrians with physical distancing.”
An Aberdeen charity has received thousands of pounds from an investment fund to help disadvantaged youngsters.
Befriend a Child has been given £12,500 from BGF, which has donated a total of £100,000 to eight charities across the UK.
A recent report by Deloitte suggested up to 8,000 youngsters might benefit from support from Befriend a Child.
Mike Sibson, head of BGF’s Aberdeen office, said: “Befriend a Child provides invaluable support to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our region, and given these challenging times, it is vitally important that this help can continue.”