Valencia Communities Fund has been funding community, heritage and biodiversity projects in Scotland for over ten years. To commemorate both our own ten-year anniversary and the financial milestones of our two steering groups, The Valencia Communities Fund Board of Trustees flew north of the border to personally thank the panel members for their tireless efforts in helping organisations access funding from the Landfill Communities Fund. The Board also planned to visit a selection of projects funded by Valencia Communities Fund to congratulate the community-minded organisations that make such a difference to their communities.
The first stop was Chapelton Bowling Club in South Lanarkshire, where we were treated to a demonstration of bowls by Alistair MacPherson of the club. Valencia Communities Fund had helped to fund the new clubhouse, transforming it from an old, deteriorating wooden structure into a light, spacious venue for community use. The steering group meeting, held in the new building, was followed by lunch and, refreshed and with the washing up done, the Board moved on to the next visit.
Our host at East Kilbride Cricket Club was Brian Kampman. Valencia Communities Fund had funded a new electronic scoreboard for the club, replacing their old-fashioned flip chart-style one. Brian's enthusiasm for the club was clear, and the new scoreboard allowed followers of the club from all over the world to follow the games live by live uplink of the scores to the club's website. It is obviously helping the club, who recently won the prestigious Murgitroyd-Rowan Twenty20 cup!
In keeping with the sporting theme, the next visit was to the newly-renovated Lochview Family Golf Centre; a facility that strives to introduce the sport to all, regardless of background. The high-tech centre also includes an indoor golf simulator, for when the British weather conspires to spoil the day! Among the achievements of the centre is having introduced golf to every child in the area, as well as thriving girls' teams and free open days on the driving range. Such was the impression made on the Board that chairman Ian White is currently considering purchasing a property in the area!
The last visit of the day took in the Scottish countryside at Kingshill Nature Reserve; a former colliery now transformed into a haven for nationally-important species. Valencia Communities Fund had funded Central Scotland Forest Trust to enable them to remove invasive species from the site, undertake management of the woodland, eg clearance to create new habitats, and install signage and interpretation to enhance visitors' enjoyment of the area. Though still in the early stages of its transition from industrial site to nature reserve, the work already done by CSFT has resulted in a rich mix of habitats, making Kingshill a haven for our native species.
The day over, the Board and panel members bade each other farewell and we made our way over to Dunbar for our next round of visits.
TO BE CONTINUED!
