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Ten projects funded by Coastal Communities Challenge Fund


By David Porter

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Grants worth a total of more than £194,000 have been awarded to organisations across Aberdeenshire by the North East Scotland Fisheries Local Action Group (NESFLAG).

The Coastal Communities Challenge Fund (CCCF) programme distributes the revenues generated by Crown Estate Scotland, and applications were assessed and approved by NESFLAG, a cross-sector partnership comprised of representatives from Aberdeenshire’s coastal and fishing sectors.

Macduff Marine Aquarium is one of several north-east recipients of funding from the Coastal Communities Challenge Fund.
Macduff Marine Aquarium is one of several north-east recipients of funding from the Coastal Communities Challenge Fund.

The application round was highly competitive, and the successful projects were selected for their positive economic, social or environmental impact on coastal communities.

Projects approved include:

New value-adding fish processing equipment for Sutherlands of Portsoy.

Purchase of new boats for children’s sailing lessons in Peterhead.

New displays and interpretation at Macduff Aquarium.

Outdoor equipment, signage and access improvements in Collieston.

An upgrade of the café and restaurant at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh.

Establishment of a monthly producers’ market in Peterhead town centre.

New access ladders at Portsoy Harbour and design work on access towers for Macduff Harbour’s slipway.

An innovative boat attachment which will collect seabed waste and debris at Fraserburgh Harbour.

A new business offering on-board dining on a historical boat at Stonehaven Harbour .

Engine upgrades to safety boats for Aberdeen and Stonehaven Yacht Club.

Further distribution of Crown Estate Scotland revenues in Aberdeenshire has been made in 2020 through the Council’s Business Resilience and Sustainability Scheme (BRASS), the Council’s Covid-19 response Phoenix Fund, and small grants through the four coastal Area Committees.

Councillor Peter Argyle, chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s infrastructure services committee, said: “These are all deserving projects and will have a very positive impact within the north-east.

"Funding such as this has provided a very welcome opportunity to support and develop Aberdeenshire’s coastal communities and businesses which continue to face challenging circumstances.”

Vice-chair John Cox added: “I am hugely-impressed by the diversity of the projects which have received funding – from fish processing to tourism.

"Given the considerable competition for funding, I would again encourage all community projects and businesses which have not been successful in this round of funding to continue developing your ideas as when grants like this do become available they often come with very tight timescales.”

Jamie Wilkinson, NESFLAG Co-ordinator, said: “NESFLAG was delighted to approve funding for these applications in the new Coastal Communities Challenge Fund in Aberdeenshire.

"There was a huge amount of interest in the programme and it was subsequently a very competitive application process.

"The successful projects demonstrate the fantastic range of community groups, businesses and tourism attractions along our coastline, and I expect the grants to have a really positive impact.”

Further details about NESFLAG can be found at www.nesflag.org.uk


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