LOTTERY GIVES PULTENEYTOWN A MILLION REASONS TO CELEBRATE

10th September 2009

Plans to build a much anticipated new community and regeneration centre in Pulteneytown, Wick have moved a step forward this week following a cash injection of £1 million from the Big Lottery Fund.

The Pulteneytown People's Project is one of five projects in Glasgow, Fife, the Highlands and West Lothian today sharing in £2,369,891 from BIG's Growing Community Assets programme.

Announcing the funding at the site of the newbuild Pultneytown communty centre, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Alison Magee, said: "Today's funding from our Growing Community Assets scheme will help five communities to acquire and develop local assets that can be grown to create new services and build local skills. As part of today's investment we are awarding £1 million to help create a new community and training facility in the centre of Pulteneytown. It has been a long held ambition of the local community to bring its existing services under one roof and to provide new activities and training opportunities for local people. I am delighted that the Big Lottery Fund is able to play its part in supporting the Pulteneytown People's Project to bring these plans to fruition."

In 2003 the Pulteneytown People's Project began working to develop a community centre that would help regenerate the town and provide a facility to meet the demands of the area. Today, thanks to £1 million award from the Growing Community Assets programme, the project is well on its way to realising that dream.

The funding will contribute to the construction of a building in the centre of the town which will enable the group to relocate all of its current projects to the one location. This will include space for a large number of existing activities including childcare and arts and sport events as well as housing a community café, IT suite, a large community hall and office space for small businesses.

CEO of Pulteneytown People's Project, Katrina MacNab, said: "We are delighted that the Big Lottery Fund has embraced our vision to provide a multi-use community and training facility within the town. This major commitment of £1 million allows us to take our ambitions another step forward. The Centre will be a fantastic resource to Wick and the surrounding areas as it will enhance training opportunities as well as providing an arts venue, cafe, crèche, youth cafe, community space and office accommodation in the heart of the community. BIG's major contribution will also give confidence to other funders we are approaching that we have the ability to take this project forward."

Also in the Highlands, the Kilmuir and Logie Easter Action and Development Group (KALE) today receives £587,719 for its own plans to create a new community facility attached to Milton Primary School in Easter Ross. The new facility will provide a range of services for 14 groups and 2,000 local people including IT facilities, careers advice and literacy and debt support. New developments will include two social enterprises: wrap around childcare and a handyman service.

Rose Hazell, KALE Chairperson, said: "We are delighted with the significant investment awarded by the Big Lottery Fund. This will help realise a long held dream of the community to be able to address identified needs by providing local services from a purpose designed facility. This will also provide the springboard for future growth and will give our community the opportunity to help themselves."

BIG LOTTERY FUND

·The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
·BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
·Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £23 billion has now been raised and more than 317,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

SCOTLAND
The Scotland Committee, led by Chair, Alison Magee, has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee has and will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of BIG in Scotland.

The Big Lottery Fund is investing in Scotland's communities through it's Investing in Communities portfolio as well as the small grants schemes Awards for All and 2014 Communities.

*Investing in Communities is the Big Lottery Fund Scotland's funding portfolio which consists of four investment areas:
Growing Community Assets, to help communities obtain, improve, develop, manage, sustain and protect assets that will help them become stronger and more sustainable.
Life Transitions to support people at times of change in their lives - at different life stages and in different circumstances.
Supporting 21st Century Life to provide support to people and communities to deal with the pace of change, enjoy positive relationships, improve quality of life, and establish connections across 21st century society.
Dynamic and Inclusive Communities (DINC) to fund improvements to the capacity and infrastructure of national, intermediary or second tier organisations, to allow communities to engage in civic society and influence civic processes so that they can build strong and more inclusive local communities