Lottery funding for Fife groups

Community groups and organisations are set to benefit from a share of National Lottery funding.

The latest round of cash grants from the lottery’s Community Fund has been announced this week.

Among those to receive a share of the £3.3m are Torbain Parish Church.

The Kirkcaldy church, which serves the Torbain and Templehall communities, has been awarded £9350 to run messy play sessions for young children and their parents and to provide senior lunch sessions to help reduce loneliness and isolation.

They are also working to fight food poverty in the community.

While £10,000 has been granted to Fife Pride for the 2021 Pride event in the town, which raises awareness of, and celebrates, the LGBT community in the Kingdom.

Other local organisations to receive funding are Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, which will use £99,210 to employ a worker to lead a new short term early intervention service for anyone aged 12 and over who has experienced rape or sexual assault.

It will provide education so individuals can 
better support themselves and crisis/immediate support to those at highest risk.

Fife Shopping and Support Services Ltd have received £10,000 to provide increased shopping and delvery services during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coaltown of Wemyss Bowling and Social Club, the only meeting place in the village, will receive £2500 to re-upholster its seating in the final stages of its refurbishment.

While the Friends of Silverburn Park in Leven will use their £10,000 to work with a tutor from Earth Building UK and Ireland to learn the skills of construction with earth to build a Cob nature hide by the pond.

Others to receive funding include Glenrothes High School (£4990) to convert its shop that aims to combat food poverty into a delivery service due to Covid-19 and Kettle Community Council (£900) for a VE day event that will include several groups in the village.

Neil Ritch, Scotland director of the National Lottery Community Fund said: “These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, are making an amazing contribution to the nation-wide response to combat the impact of Covid-19 on local communities across Scotland.” 

“This funding will make a huge difference to the lives of thousands more people and highlights the vital work that’s being done in communities across the country at the moment.

“It also reminds us all how important a package of tailored support can be to improve well-being and help forge a sense of belonging to a wider community again.”

Over the next six months the fund will focus its grants on those projects that support organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of Covid-19.