£44,000 Village Fund (Jan 2022)

As many of you will know, Lochwinnoch has finally been awarded £44,000 which was due to the village since the 1990s from Ogilvie Homes, as part of the deal struck when the Station Rise estate was built.

Renfrewshire Council are currently holding this money and are awaiting advice from Lochwinnoch Community Council on how the money should be spent. Renfrewshire Council’s Communities Housing and Planning Board, alongside the Local Village Partnership, will make the final decision.

We are now inviting local groups or interested parties to submit applications to the Community Council for a share of this money, so we make can make informed recommendations to Renfrewshire Council.

There are no stipulations on what kind of project can be funded, though the Community Council would prefer that it is used for capital rather than operational expenditure, and that local groups or charities – rather than private businesses - apply.

We would also rather the entirety of the money is not spent on one single application but is spread out over several.

That said, if there is a clear case for the money being spent on a single project that would benefit a large amount of people in the village we would be prepared to consider it.

We invite applicants to send a letter or email to the Community Council detailing what the money would be used for, with a breakdown of costs and a quote, if appropriate, including an explanation of why this project could not be funded by alternative sources.

We would also encourage applicants to consider the following, so that maximum benefit to the village might be achieved. Does the project you are seeking funding for do any of these:

• Foster a sense of community

• Appeal beyond niche interests

• Enhance the village as a visitors’ attraction

• Add to health and wellbeing

• Contribute to education

• Aid environmental friendliness or sustainability

• Promote the culture and heritage of Lochwinnoch

We will then consider applications and try and apportion funding fairly across projects, although there may be a further stage of community consultation if there is difficulty in reaching a decision.

The letter should be sent to lochwinnochvillagecouncil@gmail.com and we will accept applications up to and including March 20th 2022.