Community projects set for £45,000 investment from Renfrewshire Council’s Community Empowerment Fund

Four community groups in Renfrewshire are set to receive a share of over £45,000 in the next wave of funding from Renfrewshire Council’s Community Empowerment Fund.

Councillors will consider applications from groups including The STAR Project and Paisley Opera at the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board next Tuesday (20 August).

Applications recommended for approval include a request from The STAR Project for £20,000 to create a new labyrinth in Fountains Gardens, Paisley. A community asset transfer for the labyrinth site is currently underway.

Other applications being considered include a request for £10,000 from the 18th Paisley & District (Coats) Scout Group to carry out a feasibility study to find a suitable location for a new purpose-built Scout group and community facility in Foxbar.

Foxbar Community Garden & Environmental Projects Group has applied for £10,000 to support the development of a business plan to create a community garden and local hub facilities on the site of the demolished St Paul’s Primary in Foxbar.

And Paisley Opera has applied for £6,700 to carry out a community consultation and develop a business plan to create a rehearsal space and Community Hub in the East End of Paisley.

Councillor Marie McGurk, convener of the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board, said: “Renfrewshire is a thriving place, full of creative, passionate and innovative people and these project showcase that.

“We launched this fund in 2018 because we wanted to work with community groups and empower them to transform their local areas. I know these projects will make a big difference to their local areas and Renfrewshire if they are approved.”

The £1.5million Community Empowerment Fund provides grants to community groups that want to take over ownership and the running of a  publicly owned building or piece of land in their local area through Community Asset Transfer. It is currently in its sixth round of funding, with applications to the seventh round of the fund closing on Tuesday 3 September 2019.

Councillor McGurk added: “I would encourage anyone who is interested in taking ownership of a public building or piece of land in their local area and transforming it to apply to the Community Empowerment Fund. Your project could change the lives of people in your community.”

For more information and to find out how to apply to the Community Empowerment Fund, visit http://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/CommunityEmpowermentFund.