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Funding grant will help north-east community hub with building project


By Kyle Ritchie

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A community hub in Pitmedden has received more than £5000 to help make it more accessible for the people it supports.

Udny Community Trust has been awarded the grant through the Scotland Loves Local Fund.

The group has been given a total of £5500 which will be used to create a new entrance at its base at 14 Oldmeldrum Road.

It houses the trust's Café 48 and the new Quarry Room community space.

Udny Community Trust has been awarded funding to help make its base at Oldmeldrum Road in Pitmedden more accessible.
Udny Community Trust has been awarded funding to help make its base at Oldmeldrum Road in Pitmedden more accessible.

Development officer Yvonne McLeod said: "Our ongoing project is much wider than this one aspect, but this funding is very welcome.

"It will allow us to progress our plans more quickly than might otherwise have been possible.

"Since we purchased our building at 14 Oldmeldrum Road at the beginning of 2020, we have been working hard to bring it up to the standards expected by 21st century users.

"We are trying to create a welcoming and accessible community space for as wide a range of users as possible. To allow that to happen, we think it is really important to remove as many barriers as we can.

"We have already installed a lift at the front door of our café as well as creating accessible toilets to cater for anyone who might need to use them.

"The building was built long before accessibility was considered a priority and The Quarry Room is on a different level to the café.

"To continue to improve accessibility we have decided to create a new entrance from ground level straight into the community space.

"The Quarry Room only opened in October but we already have a growing range of events and activities taking shape.

"Planning permission has been granted and now that this funding has been secured it brings us closer to being able to move the project forward.

"All being well we intend to have the new entrance finished by spring 2022."

The trust was founded in 2011 and exists to help communities in the area including Pitmedden, Udny Green and Hattoncrook.

It is mainly funded by its sister organisation Udny Community Wind Turbine Company, which manages the community-owned wind turbine. The funds produced from selling the clean energy are ploughed back into the area.

Since it was established, the trust has distributed grant funding of more than £470,000, to 70 local organisations and good causes, all working for the benefit of residents.

As well as distributing funds, it has brought £350,000 into the community through national funding bodies such as the Big Lottery and the Scottish Land Fund.

The building on Oldmeldrum Road, which was a former hotel, was bought in March 2020.

It was refurbished during the coronavirus lockdowns and Café 48 was able to open its doors in November last year.

The Quarry Room was next to open in October this year, with the name of the community space a reference to the origins of the village of Pitmedden. It is already proving popular and is being used by a variety of groups.

Organisations across Aberdeenshire secured a share of £1.5 million from the Scotland Loves Local Fund.

The Scottish Government funding encourages support for local economies which were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Fund has been administered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation spearheading Scotland Loves Local with support from Holyrood.

The £10 million programme extends over five years and encourages people to think and choose local first by supporting their businesses and communities.

Related story: Projects across Aberdeenshire secure share of Scotland Loves Local Fund


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