Community / Crown Estate grants awarded to projects all over isles
MORE than £300,000 of grants have been awarded through the Shetland coastal communities fund, including wind turbine upgrades and kitchen refurbishments to regeneration of the local table tennis scene.
The fund is administered by Shetland Islands Council and distributes net revenues from Crown Estate assets around the isles out to 12 miles at sea.
Grant bids for less than £50,000 are dealt with under delegated authority, and anything over this goes in front of councillors.
At a full council meeting on Wednesday elected members also approved extra funding of £100,000 from the local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) for expanding energy and benefits advice.
It will provide CAB with an additional adviser to focus on addressing the particular impacts of the cost of living crisis in rural and island communities.
The project is expected to commence in January and conclude in December 2025.
Meanwhile a whole host of community projects have received funding under delegated authority.
The largest grant – just over £49,000 – has gone to the Shetland Table Tennis Association for a project to increase the number of people involved in the sport locally.
The aim is to expand activity in areas across Shetland and employ a part-time development officer.
The second largest grant is to employ a manager at the Scalloway Youth and Community Centre (£47,632).
The refurbishment of the Sandwick Social Club kitchen has received more than £45,000.
A further £36,758 has been awarded to the Nesting Scrapstore to employ a part-time team leader.
Nearly £32,500 is heading to Whalsay to upgrade the wind turbine at the Isbister Public Hall and bring it back into operation.
The Carnegie Hall in Sandwick has been given to £28,847 to upgrade its stage area, while just over £27,000 is headed to the Hillswick Hall to bring its wind turbine back into operation.
The Harbison Park in Whalsay will get a floodlight upgrade (£24,106) while the Shetland Bus Friendship Society has been awarded £17,128 to put towards a replica boat cradle in Scalloway.
Shetland Home Co has bagged £15,750 for an expansion, £11,460 is going towards improvements to the Boddam sports field pavilion, and the team behind plans for a Tingwall Agricultural Museum and Heritage Centre has been awarded £10,000 to update a feasibility study and design work.
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