Community Spirit Prevails in West Alness

The residents of West Alness will have a brand new facility and a range of exciting community activities when their refurbished community centre is completed later this year.

The £280,000 project has been driven forward by West Alness Residents Association, which has attracted funding from several sources, including The Highland Council via its Community Regeneration Fund (CRF),   HIE Inverness and East Highland, Alness Community Economic Development budget, Scottish Community & Householder Renewables Initiative and Big Lottery Fund and other charitable organisations.
 
Councillor Andy Anderson, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee, was joined by pupils from Coulhill Primary School recently in presenting  a cheque for £19, 000 to the association.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted that all the hard work by the local residents association has been successful and delighted to hand over the cheque. I wish WARA well with their plans and ambitions for the new building.”

Assocation Chairman, Jennifer Macleod, was thrilled at the prospects for the future.

She said:  “It’s taken many hard years to get to this point but it’s finally happening. The Contractor is already on site and when finished there will be out of school clubs and activities for the likes of the Coulhill primary school pupils and for teenagers and older people.
 
“Indeed, the aim is to improve the sense of community spirit by providing training and learning courses, a variety of youth activities as well as supporting new and existing user groups. This fits very well with the goals of the Community Regeneration Fund which is money for regeneration projects in deprived communities.”