We're in the money! Buckie area groups scoop almost £100k from Just Transition Fund
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BUCKIE area organisations have scooped almost £100,000 from the Moray Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund.
All six groups who faced the public vote last month were successful in their funding bids, totalling a hefty £94,100. Having plenty reasons to celebrate were Buckie Thistle, Findochty Men's Shed, Findochty Town Hall, Cullen Sea School, Cullen Community Allotments Association and Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative.
The Just Transition Fund is a £500 million 10-year commitment from the Scottish Government that will support projects in the north-east and Moray that contribute towards the region’s transition to net zero. Projects addressing climate change, community engagement, and a seamless transition to net zero could receive up to £50,000 in support.
Buckie Thistle FC were the biggest winners, netting £26,750 to instal a sustainable, energy efficient and low operating cost football pitch LED floodlight system.
Jags director Ed Douglas said that it was the culmination of fours years' hard work – interrupted by Covid – but had been worth the wait.
He said: "The new LED floodlights will help us provide first class facilities at Victoria Park.
"It will allow us to use the lights more often and opens up the ground for use by our younger teams.
"The new lights will bring a saving in power of around 50 per cent, which is around £5500 a year for the club.
"We're all absolutely delighted to get this award from Moray Just Transition Participatory Budget Fund. On behalf of the club I'd like to extend a note of thanks not only to all the people who very kindly voted for us but to the staff at tsiMoray Just Transition team who gave us so much help, advice and guidance with our application.
"We applied for last year's tranche of funding but were unsuccessful so it's a case of second time lucky.
"The money is pretty much the final piece of the jigsaw. We'd already secured £18,250 from the Moray Local Action Fund and £9000 in conditional funding from the Beatrice Moray Community Fund. We've also been grateful to receive personal donations as well as money from the Moray West wind farm.
"Now the money is in place we'll be looking to get the work done as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of Q1 next year."
Apart from providing an improved experience for players and spectators alike, the 300 lux rated lights qualify Buckie Thistle for the SFA Bronze Award which means, should they ever find themselves playing at a higher level than the Highland League, they would have the requisite quality floodlighting required in place.
Finechty Men's Shed were the next biggest winners, being awarded a grant of £20,000. This sum will allow the group to acquire a 24ft x 10ft anti-vandal cabin which will be converted into a second woodwork workshop, allowing group members to work safely and in comfort all year round.
Allan Gargan, from the men's shed, said: "We're absolutely delighted to get this award.
"On behalf of Findechty Men's Shed I'd like to thank all those people who kindly voted for us and also the staff at tsiMoray for all their help and guidance during our application.
"This is a major step forward for the men's shed and will make a huge difference to what we can offer our members. The award will enable us to double the size of our present workshop, making it a safer working environment. It will also allow us to make greater use of the generous donations of timber from a number of local companies.
"If anyone is interested in joining the shed, come along and meet the shedders. We're open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-2pm and 6.30pm to 9pm on Tuesdays."
Cullen Sea School's (CSS) bid to tap into energy efficiency has earned them £18,900. The sum will be invested in a range of energy efficient equipment to aid long-term sustainability, contributing to tackling climate change, promoting activities stimulating physical and mental health for all, including schools, who currently use the school's facilities.
Prof Ashley Mowat, who was Cullen Sea School and Three Harbours Association (3HA) chair at the time of the bid and has since been succeeded by Margaret Patterson, said the grant could end up saving the organisation significant sumsof money in the years ahead.
He continued: "The Three Harbours Association/Cullen Sea School are very glad to have been awarded Scottish Government Just Transition Funding, administered by tsiMoray.
"We also wish to thank the tsiMoray team for organising the public information event in Elgin Town Hall and all those who subsequently voted for our project to instal solar panel/battery storage at Cullen Sea School.
"This award is doubly important as it not only allows 3HA/Cullen Sea School to make a contribution to tackling climate change by reducing the need for fossil fuels, but also contributes to more efficient energy usage at the school. In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, and allowing for all the variables, this award has the potential to cut CSS electricity costs by over 60 per cent and over the projected 10-year lifespan of the system can save around £30,000 to £40,000 in electricity costs.
"In common with all other charities trying to make a difference on several fronts we face never-ending financial challenges, so this is a significant contribution.
"For me personally this award comes at an important time. Having recently retired after 10 years as chair of 3HA/CSS, this award represents a pleasing swan song, but more importantly allows the opportunity to say a public thank you: to all former and current trustees; all members; employees; and sea school clients and friends, too numerous to name, as well as the local schools and various social organisations and community workers who have collaborated to make the 3HA/CSS a success; and finally to wish the new chair Margaret Patterson and the new board of trustees continuing success in the challenging years to come."
There was plenty to celebrate for the volunteer team who run Findochty Town Hall, with the public giving the green light to plans to instal solar photovoltaic panels to reduce their gas and electricity bills. Their winning bid stood at £16,240.
Town hall trustee Sandy Innes commented: "We are absolutely delighted to have been successful and secured funding from the Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund for providing solar panels to the hall.
"We are grateful to all who supported and took time to vote for our project.
"An assessment by Business Energy Scotland showed that installing a solar PV array could save Findochty Town Hall £571 on its annual energy bill, provide income generation of around £600 and has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 61 per cent. The trustees of the town hall are continually looking to improve and maintain the hall to a high standard and condition and such savings will be go towards this continuous improvement.
"The trustees are also please to see that other projects in the local community have been successful in obtaining funding."
Two more Cullen groups were backed by the public vote for funding.
Cullen Community Allotments Association will now see their plans to instal a polycrub to replace their existing polytunnel blossom thanks to a £12,211 grant.
Allotments group chairman Bruce Edelsten said: "It's great to get this award, we've been looking forward to getting the polycrub for a while now.
"The polytunnel is heading for being in tatters and at the moment it's probably more sellotape than it is anything else.
"The polycrub is made of polycarbonate panels and is designed to Shetland weather so it's robust. Although it will be slightly smaller than the polytunnel it's a lovely, airy, light environment."
The allotments association has a total of 35 plots for which at the time of writing there is a 14-strong waiting list.
Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative (CVTI) will have new energy efficient heating in the office off the Millenium Square thanks to £420 from the fund.
David McCubbin, CVTI chairman, added: "We are so grateful to the residents of Moray for voting for our just transition project.
"We are a small volunteer-led, community tourism organisation with no external funding, so to have the opportunity to apply into the fund is so important to us. Our current heater is extremely old with no thermostat or timer and is extremely inefficient.
"Our grant award will allow us to reduce our electricity usage, more efficiently heat our tourist office and keep our volunteers warm. The savings made will allow us to spend our funds on community tourism activities".
