£80,000 windfall for local community projects in Dumfries and Galloway
Ten organisations in Dumfries and Galloway have been awarded over £80,000 from the Glenkens & District Community Fund. The fund has now provided more than £1.5 million in grants since it launched in 2019, supporting a wide variety of projects across the Glenkens and district area.
The fund is provided by Blackcraig Wind Farm and Greencoat from its Windy Rig Wind Farm, and is administered by Foundation Scotland. Funding decisions are made by the Glenkens and District Trust, who ensure that any community benefit funds coming into the area are maximised for the long-term benefit of the local communities. The Trust is committed to award decisions that reflect community needs and aspirations.
The Trust is delighted to award just over £80,000 in the most recent grants round, reflecting the fund’s priorities of creating a community that is asset rich, connected, resilient, economically flourishing and carbon neutral.
Loch Ken Trust received £8,000 towards the salary costs of its Community Ranger service and an additional £13,943 to support its Water Safety Programme for three years, helping to raise awareness of the risk of open water and train people in how to safely access open water and other waterways.
£15,000 was awarded to Galloway Fisheries Trust to support the “Habitable Headwaters” project, working with local volunteers to enhance the climate resilience of the Urr Water by planting native hardwood trees around the upper River Urr and removing non-native Sitka spruce.
Crossmichael & District Community Council was awarded a grant of £2,472 to purchase a container to provide a secure and waterproof place to store vital flood management equipment for the village.
The Trust also made several awards that reflect its ongoing commitment to supporting young people and families. They awarded £10,000 to Local Initiatives in New Galloway (LING) for the upgrading of accessible play facilities, and £4,818 to Crossmichael Primary Parent Council. Springholm Playgroup received £620 to purchase tablets for nursery attendees and the wider community to develop digital skills and awareness. And Glenkens Community and Arts Trust Limited received £17,646 to support the ‘CatStrand Young Creatives – Creative Sparks’ programme for children aged 2-12 years, delivering The Arts Award in local schools, school holiday workshops and community events.
Other awards included £3,423 to the ROKPA Trust towards the costs of improving its facilities at Lothlorien near the village of Corsock, and Moniaive Folk Festival received £4,150 as a contribution towards the costs of holding the 2026 festival, helping to ensure the festival’s sustainability and bringing economic and community benefits to the village.
Chair of the Glenkens & District Trust, Fiona Smith, said:
“Once again we were delighted with the range of applications from our hard-working community groups. We faced some difficult decisions due to the amount of funding available, and while we had to scale back some awards, we know that the impact the funded groups will make will benefit the whole community, across generations.”
Read more about the Glenkens & District Community Fund