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General Assembly 2007: Kirk's £2.4 million investment
in communities
Over the past 4 years the Kirk’s Parish Development
Fund has granted almost £2.4 million in awards
for a range of projects across Scotland, helping local
people make a real difference in their communities.
Commenting on the awards, the fund’s convener,
Martin Fair, said: “Time and again in the course
of our work we come across people who are surprised
and delighted that so many churches are engaged in such
a huge variety of work across Scotland, whether it’s
a befriending scheme for old folk living alone, a project
offering drama, art and film-making opportunities for
young people, or a family project offering support for
women and kids. The Parish Development Fund affirms
the imagination and commitment of local people who hope
that communities can become better places to live.”
Grant awards made by the fund over recent years include:
- £45,000 towards the running costs of the Route
81 Youth Project in Garelochhead, Argyll
- £41,000 towards the costs of a family support
project in Dundee
- £40,000 towards the costs of a community arts
project in Clydebank
- £18,000 towards the costs of the Church in
the Mount Befriending Service for older people in
Mount Florida, Glasgow
“We believe that every young person has potential
and we therefore want to encourage them at every opportunity”,
explained Alastair Duncan, minister in Garelochhead
and a trustee of the Route 81 Youth Project which has
benefited from the Fund. “We nominated one of
our young people for a Strathclyde Youth Club Association
"Award of Merit" because of his enthusiasm
and participation in the project. Some people had said
that this guy would never get any awards – but
he did get the award in Glasgow City Chambers. This
kind of thing is a huge encouragement to us all because
we feel we’re reaching young folk that other people
are inclined to write off.”
The fund’s report to the General Assembly gives
details on a wide range of projects supported by the
fund, explaining that local communities are able to
lever significant amounts of additional funding from
charitable trusts and others to support their work.
Ends
nrga/09/04/07
Friday 27 April 2007
Note to news desk
For further information please contact Rev Dr Martin Fair,
convener of the Parish Development Fund Committee, on
0131 225 5722 or 07742 397655. Alternatively, contact
Iain Johnstone on 0131 225 5722. A full copy of the report
is available on our General Assembly pages online
here.
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