Key community facilities at Gartly and Glass receive a welcome funding boost
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Three community organisations are sharing over £200,000 in funding thanks to the Clashindarroch Wind Farm Community Fund.
In this latest round of funding, Gartly Community Association has been awarded a grant of £118,000 while Glass Community Association has been awarded £83,127 from the fund established by wind farm owner Vattenfall.
The funding for Gartly Community Association will be used to significantly refurbish the existing village hall, known affectionately by locals as ‘The Tin Hut’, to bring it up to modern standards.
This includes re-wiring, a new heating system, insulation, a re-furbished kitchen and a disabled access entrance ramp and toilets.
Rather than extending the building as was previously considered, the Association has chosen to re-develop the existing structure as a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive solution that also respects the unique heritage of the current building.
Altogether, the renovation works will provide for a more fit for purpose and energy nefficient community building that will support pre-covid activities as well as welcoming new groups and events.
Lynn Rutter, of Gartly Community Association, commented: "This funding means we can ensure that the hall continues to be a central hub for
the community, as it has been since 1928.
"As a dispersed, rural community the hall is valued as the only publicly accessible space for local gatherings, such as the recent Jubilee picnic and duck race, and is also used for events such as weddings and parties.
"With this financial support we aim to keep the distinct character of the Hall but provide upgraded, energy efficient facilities so that it can be used for the next hundred years!"
Meanwhile, the grant to Glass Community Association will fund the costs of redeveloping the outdoor space adjacent to the village hall, repairs to the hall itself, and professional fees to secure planning consent and a building warrant for the re-development of the building.
This is the first phase in a longer-term plan to re-develop the site to provide improved social and recreational facilities for the community.
Again, with rising costs, the Association’s original plans to demolish and re-build the hall entirely have been changed in favour of a phased re-
development.
"The new building and parking area are being designed with the need to reduce carbon emissions in mind; for example, the new car parking surface will be made of recycled plastic instead of a concrete solution.
Rachael Ashley, of Glass Community Association, commented: “We are very excited to start our re-development project with the generous
funding from Vattenfall, and we have high hopes of future-proofing our community infrastructure.
"Our outdoor space will provide a fresh-air venue for Glass residents to meet, do sport and will help the environment by planting a community orchard.
"The refurbishment of the Hall will save energy and offer the local people a fit-for- purpose venue to gather, something a recent survey shows as lacking.
"We couldn’t have begun to realise these plans without assistance from this grant and we are very grateful”.
A third grant of £5995 was awarded to Tap O Noth Community Council to replace existing notice boards with new or refurbished ones in Gartly, Kennethmont, Rhynie and Clatt.
This will ensure residents and visitors can continue to be provided with relevant information on community matters and events.
The Clashindarroch Wind Farm Community Fund was launched in 2015.
It benefits the areas served by the Huntly, Strathbogie and Tap o’ Noth Community Councils and the Cabrach Community Association.
In 2022, Vattenfall’s annual donation into the fund was over £234,000.
Following consultations with the four communities in 2014, around 45 per cent of the annual donation from Vattenfall has been ringfenced for improvements to community facilities as a long-term commitment to these valued assets.
The recent awards to re-develop two village halls bring the total amount of funding provided from the Fund for this purpose to £726,000. Altogether the Fund has provided grants totalling over £1.4 million for a wide range of projects benefitting the four communities.
Pete Kunz, Vattenfall’s Service Leader for Clashindarroch Wind Farm said:““I’m delighted that funding from Clashindarroch Wind Farm Community Fund is being used to refurbish and redevelop community facilities and address isolation following Covid.
"I’m delighted that the benefits of the wind farm will leave a lasting legacy in the area.”
The fund is managed on behalf of Vattenfall by Foundation Scotland, Scotland’s community foundation.
Decisions on grant awards are made by a panel of local people, drawn from the four communities the fund benefits.
The next deadline for grant applications to the Clashindarroch Fund is September 5, with decisions being made towards the end of October.
For more information visit https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/clashindarrochfor application details.
