SSE funding totalling £365,000 for three Sutherland projects
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Three Sutherland community groups are to receive nearly £365,000 in grant funding from SSE Renewables.
This is part of the company's pledge today to award a total of £2.15 million to 23 transformational projects from its Highland Sustainable Development Fund.
The funds will help support communities across the region as they work to recover from the current outbreak.
The Sutherland groups are Dornoch Area CIC who will receive £174,456 to regenerate the redundant police station into the Dornoch Hub; Strathnaver Museum who have been awarded £150,000 for a redevelopment project which will improve the visitor experience; and the Kyle of Sutherland Hub who have been granted £40,000 to achieve sustainability for vital services.
The Sustainable Development Fund’s application process took place prior to the pandemic. However, in response, the fund’s independent panel responsible for funding decisions acted quickly to double the amount of funding available.
This swift action has helped to drive much needed funding towards community projects that will help the region ensure it has the infrastructure and capacity to cope during 2020, but also to grow the economy again with facilities and skills that are attractive to tourists and employers in the future.
Given the current emergency, the fund focussed on projects which boost the economy, enhance skills opportunities and protect the heritage of the region. One of the largest economic drivers in the Highlands is tourism, a sector that has been badly affected by the outbreak and this year the fund is awarding over half a million to tourism projects in the Highlands, helping them to recover and grow over the months and years ahead.
Lord Jack McConnell, chairman of the Sustainable Development Fund, said: "These are difficult times for those who live, work and do business in Highland Region. We have supported projects that provide hope for the future with more sustainable communities and jobs. And to make sure these projects happen we will be flexible in working with local organisations to meet the new circumstances."
