Keith community organisations Kerbs, Keith and Dufftown Railway and REAP celebrate receiving huge funding boost
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THREE Keith community organisations are set to benefit from a funding grant.
Local environmental charity REAP (Rural Environmental Action Project), Keith and Dufftown Railway Association and skate park group Kerbs have all been selected to receive part of a £350,000 funding grant for community projects.
Bids by organisations across Moray were submitted to the Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund and the Community Wellbeing Participatory Grant Making (PGM) schemes earlier this year, with the three Keith organisations successfully winning a slice of the cash.
The Keith Rollerbladers, BMX and Skateboarders group (Kerbs) was set up eight years ago to maintain the skating facilities at Cuthil Park. The group received a £2000 grant as part of the funding to help maintain the skate park.
A spokesperson for Kerbs said: "Kerbs are thrilled to be granted £2000. The funding will help insure and maintain Keith skate park for another year. Thank you to the community for their votes and continued support."
Keith and Dufftown Railway Association also received £2000 which they plan to use for an all abilities access ramp to their engineering shed.
Volunteer Alan Moir said: "The funding was granted so we can build an all access ramp from the railway platform over to the engineering shed so that everyone can access the shed.
"This will allow anyone even people in a wheelchair, scooter or crutches a safe and easy access without extra help. The shed at the moment has poor access for anyone that isn't fully able so this will help everyone.
"We are truly grateful for winning the funding and we will be hopefully getting it started when the weather permits and materials arrive at the start of the new year. We would like to thank all who voted for our project it was fantastic to know people support us so much"
An accessibility project by Keith based charity REAP has also been supported with a larger grant of £25,507.
The charity, which has worked to raise environmental awareness and tackle economic inequality in Moray for over 25 years, applied for the grant to improve disability access at their community power hub.
REAP project manager Segun Adebayo said: "We saw there was a need for people with disabilities who are often marginalised and forgotten, to be more included in the our community drives.
"We currently run a community power hub in Keith, aimed at tackling social inequality, but we do not have disability access to the hub. We saw this as a top priority and it was important to us that we give equal access to persons with disabilities and vulnerable people in the community to access our services.
"Through the funding we applied for, we will be able to install a disability CAME swing door automation kit to enable people with disabilities to access the Keith Community Power Hub for support.
"We are also planning to purchase language translation devices offering at least 82 languages to help with language barriers for minority groups. People who clearly have language barriers will benefit from the translators as they access the Hub for support.
"We hope these developments will create greater involvement and empowerment for marginalised people in our communities and we will partner with local organisations to identify those who would benefit most from the project."
TSI Moray, which administers the funds, gave the public the chance to decide which local groups would receive cash.
Announcing that the results had been determined, a TSI Moray spokesperson said: "Congratulations to all of the above, and heartfelt commiserations to all the individuals and groups whose very worthwhile projects will not be offered funding on this occasion.
"Every project attracted in excess of 430 votes, with 3459 people overall taking part in voting.
"Money for Moray and tsiMORAY are very grateful for the efforts of every person and group who applied, and everyone who voted, as well as all those who took part in shaping the process, as this is a brilliant result for people in Moray and for the development of participatory democracy.
"We also hope we can continue to work together to develop connections made, to the benefit of the development of their project idea, of their group, of their local community, and of the people of Moray."
