Article Source: Asda
Last Updated: 18 September 2024 16:34
The grants form part of a staggering £1.2 million in funding which has been awarded to 65 community projects across the UK. Ranging between £10,000 and £25,000, the grants will go towards the improvement of community spaces where local people can come together and thrive.
The initiative follows information from Asda’s latest community tracker, which revealed over 20% of customers were concerned about the lack of community spaces in their area*, with loneliness being ranked as one of the biggest challenges faced by communities by over 38% of people*.
Among the eight groups awarded in Scotland are Supporting Our Communities, based in Hamilton, receiving £15,000 to transform their community garden, St Leonard’s Episcopal Church in Straiton, receiving £20,000 to overhaul an unused church building into a community hub, and Irvine-based Stuartfield Village Hall SCIO, receiving £25,000 to carry out urgent repairs in the hall’s roof and windows.
The £15,000 awarded to Supporting Our Community will enable the group to transform a disused area of waste ground into a community garden, open and accessible for all age groups and abilities. Individuals, groups, schools and nurseries in the local area will all be able to access and use the garden for recreational, social and educational purposes.
Mark Rouse, Project Coordinator, Supporting Our Community said: “We are delighted to receive this grant from the Asda Foundation. The funds will help transform this once unloved area into a thriving community space. This project is led by local people, and they have decided what they want and need from the garden, so we are thrilled to be able to support them in this exciting project.
“The area we’re developing was a piece of waste ground and a bit of an eyesore. The group will be using the Asda Foundation funding to construct permanent pathways so that the garden will be accessible to all, as well as a communal seating area and a sensory garden.”
Gillian Summers, Community Champion, Asda Hamilton said: “Supporting Our Community is a tremendous resource to the Hamilton community, especially those who are isolated or lonely. The best thing about the group is that they offer an open-door policy, everyone is welcome to join, and the group offers a safe and warm environment.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work with the group and help them apply for the funding and I’m so delighted they’ve been awarded the Asda Foundation grant. The garden will offer a vital outside area for everyone to enjoy.”
Karl Doyle, Chair of the Asda Foundation, said: “We know that safe and inclusive spaces can be a lifeline to many in our local communities, they offer a way for people to be together and are the home for many vital services and activities. Our Community Tracker tells us that many community groups are struggling to find the funding to maintain, develop and repair these spaces and that’s where we have come in to help. Through our Investing in Spaces and Places grants, and the wider Asda Foundation programme, we want to continue playing our part in uniting communities and reducing loneliness by improving community spaces and bringing people together.”
Chris Brookmyre, the winner of this year’s McIlvanney Prize, was presented with a giant Glencairn Glass trophy at this year’s Bloody Scotland Festival.
READ MOREDobbies Garden Centres is embracing the autumn season with a series of free-to-attend events throughout October, including Grow How, Little Seedlings Club and Little Seedlings Holiday Club.
READ MOREAsda's charity, The Asda Foundation, has awarded £150,000 to eight community groups across Scotland through its Investing in Spaces and Places grants.
READ MOREStatues of everyone's favourite bear will be taking a seat in locations across the UK and Ireland in early October!
READ MORETickets for this year's IRN-BRU Carnival launch with the chance to win on Glasgow's streets!
READ MOREStirling’s annual Photography Festival is underway this month with its theme of ‘Roots and Rituals’ marking a celebration of the city’s people and place during its 900th year.
READ MOREAsda invites customers across Scotland to donate pre-loved children's books for onward gifting to families who have fewer books of their own.
READ MORETime is running out to enter Caledonian Sleeper's photography competition aimed at encouraging everyone to capture views of the most scenic locations on route between Scotland and London.
READ MOREThe winners of the Scots Language Awards 2024 were crowned on Saturday at a celebratory ceremony in Ayrshire.
READ MOREMacrobert Arts Centre has announced the full programme for Central Scotland Documentary Festival 2024 (CSDF).
READ MOREFor October, Dobbies Garden Centres has launched a brand new autumn edition of its hands-on planting experience, combined with a tasty Afternoon Tea.
READ MOREThe Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, today reveals the 20 outstanding Scottish albums on 2024's Longlist.
READ MOREBBC Scotland's topical TV programme Debate Night returns later this month and they are searching for people to be part of the big studio audience.
READ MOREThe recently launched Scottish Live Music Awards (SLMA), in association with GO Radio, has seen an overwhelming response, receiving over 3000 nominations in just the first 2 days.
READ MORECommunity groups, local organisations and artists gathered at Forth Valley College on Thursday evening to mark the culmination of Stirling’s Remembering Together Covid Memorial Project.
READ MOREThe award-winning Tolbooth Stirling has been chosen to host a flagship music event that promotes Scottish music and artists across the globe.
READ MOREThe Edinburgh Butter Company is excited to announce the launch of Scotland’s first-ever croissant competition, open to bakers across the country.
READ MOREContemporary glass maker Elin Isaksson has been chosen to create the awards for Scotland’s national music prize the Scottish Album of the Year, via this year’s SAY Award Design Commission.
READ MOREHold onto your popcorn, because Cineworld is thrilled to announce the whirlwind return of the blockbuster hit Twisters to 4DX screens nationwide, due to an overwhelming tornado of popular demand!
READ MOREFilm fans are invited to revisit a galaxy far, far away this September as every main Star Wars film brings some of cinema's most iconic heroes and villains back to the big screen.
READ MOREAre you ready to take on Scotland's greatest running event at this year's AJ Bell Great Scottish Run in Glasgow on Sunday 6 October?
READ MOREMacrobert Arts Centre has announced the cast of Santa's Magical Lighthouse, to be performed this Christmas at the Stirling venue.
READ MOREFestival-goers attending the fourth Music at the Multiverse festival at the weekend enjoyed fantastic live music, sunshine and showers in one of Scotland’s most spectacular outdoor venues.
READ MOREStudents go FREE with Stena Line on Cairnryan and Liverpool routes.
READ MOREResidents are being asked to shape the future of Stirling Council's libraries in a new consultation.
READ MOREA rare opportunity to study the plans that led to the construction of the National Wallace Monument will form the centrepiece of a double birthday celebration this week.
READ MOREPrepare to be enchanted once again this winter as Monteviot Lights returns to Monteviot House & Gardens!
READ MOREParticipants can choose any novel way of racking up 100 miles this September to help raise crucial funds for those who need it most in the UK.
READ MOREThe Stirling and District Schools Pipe Band are celebrating after being named fourth best in the world!
READ MOREMeet The Buchanans is announced as the lead title in Macrobert Arts Centre's Central Scotland Documentary Festival (CSDF).
READ MORE