Keiss Primary Get Prizes From New Community Benefit Fund

2nd September 2011

A new company has been established to distribute £4m funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for community projects in the Dounreay travel to work area. The Community Benefit Fund has been provided in association with the construction of a low level waste facility soon to be built at Dounreay.

Caithness and North Sutherland Fund Ltd, was established with assistance from the Dounreay Stakeholder Group. Seven directors have been appointed to run the company: 3 Highland Councillors; Cllr David Flear, Cllr John Rosie and Cllr Robbie Rowantree who cover the whole of the geographic Dounreay Travel to Work Area, and also 4 Appointed Directors with expertise in community and economic development; Koreen MacDougall, John Henderson, Shona Munro and Frances Gunn.

Since their appointment in late 2010 the directors have been working with DSRL on behalf of the NDA to establish the company and its working arrangements, ensuring the community makes the decisions on how the funding is spent.

The purpose of the fund is to give money to community organisations for projects that will increase the attractiveness of Caithness & North Sutherland as a place to live, work and invest with particular emphasis on achieving environment, social, culture and infrastructure improvements.

The Caithness & North Sutherland Fund directors invited primary school children in the community to design a logo which symbolises the fund's core purpose and mission. Catriona, a P7 pupil at Keiss Primary School was chosen as the winner as the directors thought her design encompassed the fund's mission.

John Henderson, Chairman of the Caithness & North Sutherland Fund, said: "This funding is for our community, so the directors wanted to engage the community at an early stage. A good way was to invite the young people in our community to design a logo symbolising what they believe the funding will do for the area. A good response was received, but one design stood out from the rest. Much work has been done over the last nine months by the directors, NDA and DSRL to prepare for the launch of the fund later this year."

Maureen Miller, Acting Cluster Head Teacher at Keiss Primary School, said: "Catriona, the pupils and staff of Keiss Primary School were delighted to be informed of Catriona's winning design. Not only was Catriona awarded for winning but the school won an Xbox Console which all the pupils will benefit from. Hopefully many more in the community will benefit from this fund."

Directors John Henderson and Koreen MacDougall presented the prize of £50 Argos voucher to Catriona and a Xbox Console with Kinect Sensor to the school.
Caithness & North Sutherland Fund will be launched in October 2011, prior to the start of construction of the New Low Level Waste Facilities.

Photo
Pictured here is Catriona receiving the prizes from Caithness & North Sutherland Fund Directors Koreen MacDougall and John Henderson with the pupils from Keiss Primary School.

Info
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is providing £4M funding via DSRL; £1M at start of construction and £300,000pa from 2014 to 2023.

Funding is distributed in line with the NDA Socio Economic Policy.