Moorfoot village halls secure long-term backing as fund passes £67,000
Six community projects have been awarded a total of £12,701 from the Carcant Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund (Moorfoot), in a round that also saw the local decision-making Panel adopt a strategic approach to supporting the area's three village halls and also finalise the Fund Review.
The awards, agreed by the Panel at the beginning of September, brought the total awarded since Foundation Scotland resumed administering the Fund in 2019 to just over £67,000 across 42 grants.
The largest amount was a set of strategic awards totalling £9,900, shared equally between Carrington Village Hall Association, Middleton Village Community Hall Association and Temple Village Halls Association. Each hall received £3,300 towards running costs across 2028, 2029 and 2030, giving the volunteer committees that keep the local halls open a settled income to plan around in advance.
The multi-year awards to the three halls reflect the Panel's understanding and responsive approach to local fund decision-making, and its willingness to use the Fund flexibly when the community's priorities are evidenced. This forms part of Foundation Scotland’s approach to supporting Distributing Differently options that go beyond the traditional grantmaking approach.
Three further awards were made:
• Borthwick & District Pipe Band was awarded £1,500 towards additional professional piping tuition, helping keep music training affordable and accessible for young people across the Fund area.
• Tariki Trust received £801 to run five ecotherapy and soundbath sessions as part of a free, five-week wellbeing project based outdoors.
• Moorflix Community Cinema received £500 towards film screening licence fees, allowing the volunteer-run cinema to keep bringing people together through the winter months.
Recognising village halls as community hubs
The Fund review, which you can read here, was considered and finalised by the Panel at the same meeting, and examined past grants awarded between 2019 and 2025, alongside the Fund's priorities, grant levels, and the geographic and per capita distribution of its spending. The review found that village halls have received 76.7% of all funding awarded since 2019, across 22 of 36 grants. Carrington, Temple and North Middleton are small rural villages with very limited local amenities. For each of these communities, the village hall is considered a community hub, which supports a range of activities from playgroups and exercise classes to funerals, film nights and community council meetings.
Several considerations shaped the Panel's decision for this round:
- Certainty for volunteers:. The hall already has a multi-year award that finished in 2027. Looking ahead from 2028, this award means that the hall committees, (all volunteer-run) can budget, plan maintenance and take on activities without the added pressure of securing core costs.
- Core costs, not just capital: Heating, insurance and utilities help keep the doors open, but are among the hardest costs for small organisations to fundraise for. The Fund is well placed to meet and support these needs.
As this case study highlights, the Panel has adopted a proactive approach before, as sustained support from the Fund has helped transform Carrington Village Hall from a facility at risk of closure into a well-used, energy-efficient and financially resilient community asset.
Reviewing a community benefit Fund periodically is regarded as good practice. Communities change, costs shift, and priorities that worked when a Fund opened still may not align with the local community priorities. A regular review helps to provide a structured opportunity to test whether the Fund is still working for the people it exists to serve, and to make changes with evidence behind them rather than on a whim.
The fund in numbers
Following this round, the Fund has awarded £67,571.68 across 42 grants since 2019, at an average of £1,609 per grant. Village halls account for £51,996.20 of that total, or 77.0%. By project area, Carrington has received £20,558.20 (30.4%), Temple £19,298.00 (28.6%), Middleton £16,140.00 (23.9%), and area-wide projects benefiting all Moorfoot residents £11,575.48 (17.1%).
The Carcant Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund (Moorfoot) opened in 2010 and has been administered by Foundation Scotland on behalf of the local community since 2019. It is provided by Greencoat UK Wind, owners of the nearby Carcant Wind Farm, and receives £4,200 a year, index-linked, across the wind farm's 25-year operating life. It supports projects benefiting residents of the Moorfoot Community Council area in Midlothian.
Groups working to benefit people in Moorfoot can find full eligibility criteria, guidance and the application form here.
Read more about the Carcant Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund - Moorfoot.