Building community capacity in Glenrinnes
Glenrinnes Community Centre (GCC) is the key community hub which brings people together for a range of activities and has ambitious plans for future improvements. The Community Centre is supported by a committee of volunteers.
The Community Centre has received funding support from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, which is provided by EDF Renewables. The fund supports charitable activities that benefit residents living in the four Community Council areas of Cabrach, Dufftown & District, Glenlivet & Inveravon and Glenrinnes.
All four Dorenell communities are unique with their own specific needs and circumstances. Glenrinnes is a scattered rural community, one of the least populated in the fund area. It stretches from Dufftown south to Glenlivet and has a landscape of rolling farmland, moor and forestry, dominated by the iconic Ben Rinnes. Glenrinnes Community Centre (GCC) is the key community hub.
Over the past few years, the GCC committee has evolved, and today’s enthusiastic team of volunteers is dedicated to creating a vibrant, sustainable community hub - one that offers a variety of social and recreational activities while staying financially strong.
A lively calendar of regular events is now well established, including the popular weekly Coffee Morning, monthly Big Breakfast, Games Nights, and Crafting Meetings, along with larger seasonal celebrations.
The Coffee Morning has become a real highlight, recently drawing over 100 attendees and regularly welcoming around 80 each week. Glenrinnes residents (especially older members of the community) are thoroughly enjoying these welcoming gatherings.
Visitors from farther afield are also being drawn in by the warm, friendly atmosphere, where there’s always space, time for a good chat, and of course, a delicious home-baked scone.
The group received eight funding awards over the past year, totalling £77,980. These grants reflect the renewed energy behind improving the hall and bringing people together. The funding supported a range of practical enhancements including picnic tables, loft insulation, LED lighting, catering equipment, an emergency generator, and a smart new boundary fence. One award is funding a feasibility study exploring ways to upgrade the hall for better energy efficiency and long-term sustainability. Another helped make the much-loved 'Memories Day' in September 2024 a great success, with marquee hire for a vibrant celebration of local heritage.
To help ease the pressure on new committee members and allow them to focus on running and improving the facility, a three-year core cost grant was awarded in 2023. Thanks to the success of regular fundraisers like the monthly Big Breakfast, the hall is now proudly financially self-sufficient and no longer reliant on grants to cover its day-to-day running costs.
GCC Chair, Alister Laing said:
“Having access to Dornell funds that are specifically allocated to the Glenrinnes area has allowed the members of the Community Centre to bring people from the local area together at the regular events that we organise. In addition, the funding has allowed us to put only a low charge on the events which allows all types of people to attend without putting a financial strain on them. The biggest benefit is that the community are coming together and are not feeling lonely and have people to talk to which is very important in today's society.”
The success of the local events, and the plans to improve the hall itself, are testing the capacity of the volunteers. They are planning to employ a community liaison officer to support these key activities and also address the needs of more vulnerable community members with support as required. Having seen the impact of similar roles in Glenlivet and in Dufftown, GCC is keen to maximise the opportunity and potential afforded by the benefit fund and create this new local role.
Read more about the EDF Renewables Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund here