COMMUNITY groups across Helensburgh and Lomond have been given an extra year to spend grant funding from the local council after their plans were thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic.
A pot of almost £100,000 was made available to event organisers across Argyll and Bute by the council’s Supporting Communities fund – almost a quarter of it in Helensburgh and Lomond.
But many events involve mass social gatherings, which currently cannot take place under lockdown measures despite the recent easing of some restrictions in Scotland.
In March, the authority’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee agreed to award £23,678 to 11 community organisations around the area.
Groups who were set to benefit included Grey Matters Active Ageing, Helensburgh and Lomond Carers, Enable Scotland for its Jean’s Bothy mental health hub, and the Garelochhead Station Trust.
READ MORE: Pandemic 'should be a turning point' for Helensburgh and Lomond's unpaid carers
The nine members of the authority’s business continuity committee approved a plan to give groups until March 2022 to spend the money when they met on June 11.
A report by council chief executive Pippa Milne said: “Fifty-one groups were allocated funding totalling £98,199.29 from the 2020/21 Supporting Communities fund. Area committees approved this spend at their meetings in March 2020.
“Awards of funding include community events, sporting events and numerous gatherings of people that will possibly be cancelled or delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak and government restrictions.
“Correspondence has been received from several groups concerned that they are unable to spend the funding within the current time period due to current circumstances and their projects requiring to take place at certain points in time.
“It is recommended that applicants awarded funding in 2020/21 are allowed to carry forward their project, activity or event as set out in their application, in to the following financial year.
“The deadline for spend would move from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
“It is further recommended that the applicant group will not be able to apply for funding in 2021/22 for a project/event/activity which duplicates that which has been funded for 2020/21.
“Should they wish to do so, the applicant group could make another application for funding in 2021/22 for a project/event/activity so long as this is not a duplication of an existing contract for funding.”
READ MORE: Who got what from £23,000 community cash grant pot in Helensburgh and Lomond?
The complete list of Helensburgh and Lomond grants awarded in March is as follows:
Arrochar, Tarbet and Ardlui Community Council - £1,068
Enable Scotland (Jean’s Bothy) - £2,500
Gareloch Riding for the Disabled Association - £2,500
Garelochhead Station Trust - £2,460
Grey Matters Active Ageing - £2,500
Helensburgh and Lomond Carers SCIO - £2,500
Helensburgh Art Hub - £2,500
Loch Long Jetty Association - £2,500
Project 81 Youth and Community Enterprise Ltd - £2,500
Rhu and Shandon Community Council - £850
Welcome In - £1,800
READ MORE: Check out all the latest news headlines from across Helensburgh and Lomond here
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