WIREDGOV

A grade A listed octagonal church in Renfrewshire is set to be bought by the local community following a £233,300 grant from the Scottish Land Fund.

Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust will purchase the former Lochwinnoch Parish Church and develop it as a community hub, with space for a range of services and activities.

The grant is amongst eight, totalling £829,692, that have been announced during this year’s Community Land Festival, which celebrates community landowners and their achievements, and runs until Sunday, 3 November. (https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/community-land-festival/)

Other groups receiving funding to pursue their community ownership ambitions include Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association SCIO, which has been awarded £217,340 to purchase a piece of land in Drumnadrochit, Inverness in order to develop a community sports, health and wellbeing hub and Sanday Development Trust, which has been given £98,098 to acquire a three-bedroom detached bungalow on the island of Sanday, Orkney. The house will be used to provide affordable rented accommodation for the community, primarily aimed at key workers.

The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2021. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by the National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to acquire and develop their assets for over a decade.

Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary, Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, said: 

“The Scottish Land Fund gives people an important say in the way that assets in their communities are run and used. The variety in the recipients in this round is really encouraging and I would like to congratulate all the groups behind the projects and wish them all the best as they take these forward.”

Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “These awards will provide groups across the country with the resources to acquire and develop assets that they themselves have identified as important, helping to strengthen and empower communities”.

Sandra Holmes, head of community assets at HIE, said: “The successful projects announced today across Scotland have all identified opportunities to help their local area to thrive and are great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities. Through the purchase of land and properties including a parish church and a memorial hall, groups will be in a position to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to the community. Ownership will give them greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come.”

Diarmid Harris, Chair, Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust(LCDT), said:

“The award from the Scottish Land Fund will allow us to acquire the Lochwinnoch Parish Church, a beloved, iconic building in the heart of Lochwinnoch. The power of community ownership of our own cultural heritage, symbolised by the restoration and refurbishment of this building, will be a catalyst for local innovation, creativity and economic development in our village. LCDT believes that the revitalisation of this building will have a significant impact on Lochwinnoch for generations to come.”

Susan Griffin, Chair, Glenurquhart Rural Community Association,said: “This award will allow us to purchase the Old Shop in Drumnadrochit, which has lain derelict for a number of years.

“Working with the Glen Urquhart Shinty Club and the Glen Urquhart Football Club, this will allow us to move ahead with our plans to develop a sports focussed health and wellbeing centre with enhanced changing facilities. A fitness suite and range of treatment rooms for use by our growing community are also planned, reducing the need for our residents to travel a 30 mile round trip to access such facilities. 

And Clive Struver, Chair, Sanday Development Trust, said: “Sanday Development Trust is immensely grateful for the funding awarded by the Scottish Land Fund towards the purchase of Viggie House, which will help provide the additional low-cost, affordable rental provision that Sanday desperately needs. We look forward to Viggie becoming a new home for a family or those with the essential skills that Sanday requires to survive. Affordable housing is essential, particularly in remote rural communities where it is very difficult to attract professionals and those with a trade. We still have a long way to go but Viggie is a very important part of achieving a sustainable population on the island. We also thank the Sanday community for their engagement and support of this acquisition.”

Other groups receiving funding are: