People in Ferguslie Park could turn their good ideas about bringing their community together to life thanks to a new fund.
The Tannahill Centre has been given £25,000 from the Scottish Government’s Investing in Communities project and has launched a Good Ideas Fund where people and groups can apply for up to £5,000.
The projects will be led by local people and priority will be given to those which promote positive mental health and tackle isolation, loneliness and boredom.
Gordon Larkin, community development worker at the Tannahill Centre, said: “The Ferguslie Park Good Ideas Fund is more than just a way of giving out grants, it’s about supporting local people use their existing and new skills to help Ferguslie Park reach its full potential.
“We’ve seen lots of informal groups pop-up to support their neighbours during the pandemic, with many people volunteering in their community for the first time.
“We want to encourage these people to stay active in their local community, so we are happy to receive applications from individuals and un-constituted or informal groups as well.”
For the past three months a group has been meeting to agree and establish the application process and criteria for grants.
One of the steering group participants, Paul Cardona, said: “Our community has been in some form of lockdown over the past year, and we all know the impact this has had on the mental health of everyone.
“Children are struggling to adjust to home schooling, adults miss catching up with friends and a majority of our older population have been stuck indoors shielding away from the rest of the community.
“We want to hear people’s good ideas that will overcome these issues and make people happier in ways that are safe and stick to social distancing rules.”
The Investing in Communities fund has funded similar grant programmes run by the Tannahill Centre in the past, aimed at building the skills, knowledge and confidence of local groups and organisations, including Pals of the Privies, Own Yer Bike and Cameron School of
Dance.
Gordon added: “These groups have shown that if you give local people some money and resources they can achieve incredible
things.
“We hope our new grant fund will enable the new and existing volunteers within Ferguslie Park to establish services that are much needed in our
community.”
Application forms can be downloaded from the Tannahill Centre’s social media pages or by contacting Gordon directly on gordonlarkin@fpha.org.uk.
The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday, March 1.
