Almost £3.7 million of community partnership funding has been awarded to third sector and other community organisations in East Lothian for 2019/20.

Funding will support a variety of organisations in maintaining partnership working with East Lothian Council, helping to build resilience and capacity while reducing inequalities across local communities. This includes funding which goes direct to our 20 Community Councils and six Area Partnerships, which they allocate directly to meet local priorities.

Fifty three community organisations are being supported by the One Council Partnership Fund this year and include:

  • Access to Industry - £19,012 to support an employability project for community justice partnership objectives
  • Borders Scrapstore - £7,000 to promote waste reduction and volunteering
  • The Action Group - East Lothian Benefits - £20,000 to support young people with disabilities
  • The Risk Factory  - £5,000 towards delivery of community safety education to Primary 7 pupils
  • Whitecraig Community Centre Association - £4,860 for a project to support healthy eating, food hygiene and family learning
  • Venturing Out CIC - £24,800 to support a local social enterprise that delivers inclusive outdoor activities working for people who may not normally have the opportunity to participate in such activities.

Other organisations being supported include the Amisfield Preservation Trust, Bridges Project – Musselburgh, Dunbar Fashion School, East Lothian Advice Consortium, East Lothian Foodbank, East Lothian Young Carers, Team United Sports, First Step Community Project and the Pennypit Special Needs Youth Club. There is also support for sports groups and the arts.

Councillor Jim Goodfellow, Cabinet Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing, said:

“Community and third sector organisations make a massive difference to the lives of people of all generations. Working together, we can continue to have a hugely positive impact on the vibrancy and wellbeing of our towns and villages, while addressing issues of inequality.

“East Lothian Council has a very clear vision – for a prosperous, safe and sustainable East Lothian, with a dynamic and thriving economy that enables our people and communities to flourish.

“The One Council Partnership Fund supports our collective efforts to focus on this this vision, supported by community planning priorities.

“This year’s package of funding supports wide ranging initiatives including promotion of healthy eating, the purchase of equipment to be used within communities, contributing towards project running costs and helping to sustain activities within our towns and villages.

“We’re taking an increasingly joined up approach which will help reduce inequalities in and between communities while promoting prevention and early intervention.

“I and my colleagues look forward to working with these organisations and seeing the benefits of their progress in the months and years ahead.”

Venturing Out’s Claire Mackenzie said:

“We are really pleased to have received a grant from the East Lothian Council Community Partnership Fund and to be working in partnership with ELC Outdoor Learning. It allow us to extend our services to children with additional support needs and their families in East Lothian and builds on the successful programmes that we already have underway at places like Pinkie Primary. Helping people to access outdoor activities can make so much difference to mental and physical health and it’s also fun!”

Published: Thursday, 27th June 2019