Going green witha funding windfall

Gillian Barrie from CSGNT and Councillor Jim Gibbons with members of the Torrance Greenspace Group who have been awarded funding

Five community schemes have benefited from the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) Community Project Fund.

The £40,000 fund aims to increase community use of local greenspace, particularly within disadvantaged communities, in order to positively impact on the quality of life for local residents.

In Bearsden, the King George V Development Group has been awarded a total of £477.50 for bulbs to improve the appearance of Killermont Park.

The project is called ‘Our Park is Blooming Marvellous’.

And Milngavie in Bloom has been awarded £888.31 funding towards their ‘Allander Pathway’ project to transform a neglected riverside walkway with wildflowers and other plants and shrubs.

The project will build on work already undertaken by volunteers to keep the path clean and litter-free.

Also, in Milngavie, the town’s Community Development Trust has been awarded £996.10 funding for materials to create a community orchard in Lennox Park.

Meanwhile, Torrance Community Initiative has been awarded £1,000 towards the purchase of three five-foot wooden chainsaw carvings to be displayed in Woodmill Park.

A similar project in Lennoxtown received £906.68.

The carvings will promote and improve the park for the benefit of the local residents.

Keith Geddes, Chair of the Central Scotland Green Network Trust, said: “The CSGN Community Project Fund aims to support local groups in delivering the CSGN vision on the ground.

“The standard of applications to this year’s fund was fantastic and we have awarded the grants to a wide range of greenspace activities right across the central belt, from projects that aim to educate future generations on driving sustainability to those looking to restore working lives, build confidence and teach new skills.

“Small-scale local initiatives like the Allander Patheway project are instrumental in achieving our goal of creating a high-quality green network across central Scotland to improve the quality of life for local communities.”

For more information about the fund, including how to apply, visit www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org.