Special meeting of Easter Ross Area Committee approves funding for four new community projects

Four more projects aimed at supporting economic recovery and community resilience in Easter Ross have been granted just over £90,000 of Community Regeneration Funding (CRF).

CRF is an umbrella fund including - £105,483 from the Highland Coastal Communities Fund (capital and Revenue) and £238,560 from the Place Based Investment Fund (capital funding).

The funding awards were agreed at a Special Meeting of the Easter Ross Area Committee earlier today (13 March 2023).

Area Committees are awarded devolved allocations according to approved formulae and decision making on which projects should receive funding sits with elected Members.

The Easter Ross Committee previously approved almost £200,000 worth of funding for six other projects at its last meeting in January but four project bids for funding were deferred from the January 2023 meeting of the Committee after members requested further information.

After having considered the new information from four of the deferred applications Members have approved four successful projects are as follows:

• Milton Community Woodland - £28,750 to carry out path maintenance.
• Invergordon Naval Museum and Heritage Centre - £20,832 to install a new electrical heating system so they can open as a heat hub and open the museum on a regular basis. The approval of this funding will be subject to a condition that successful match funding is found with a period of six months.
• Royal British Legion Scotland, Invergordon Branch £14,155 to carry out the refurbishment of the Legion Hall. The approval of this funding will be subject to a condition that successful match funding is found with a period of six months.
• Change Mental Health - (previously Support in Mind Scotland) - Easter Ross Outreach - £26,340 to recruit additional a part-time outreach worker for a fixed 12-months period to support 12 additional people who have complex mental health needs - based in Alness. 

Chair of the Easter Ross Area Committee, Cllr Derek Louden, said: “The Committee previously approved almost £200,000 worth of funding for six other projects at its last meeting in January. I am delighted that we can now approve a further £90,000 of support.”