£400K to be distributed within Caithness – projects in Wick and Thurso supported
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Two projects in Caithness will receive financial support from the Highland Coastal Communities Fund (HCCF).
A proportion of the fund will be spent on improvements to public toilet facilities in Wick, while a project to allow young people in the Thurso area to participate in leisure and learning opportunities will receive nearly £50,000.
Within an overall allocation to Highland of £3,034,703, the Caithness committee – which met on Wednesday – has been awarded £409,652.26 of Crown Estates revenues for distribution within the county.
Chair of the committee, Cllr Raymond Bremner, said: “Both of these successful projects will bring very positive results to our communities and are exactly the sort of projects I think the Coastal Communities Fund should be supporting."
Funding of £50,000 has been provided to the council to go towards the £254,000 refurbishment works to the Whitechapel public conveniences in Wick.
The works will provide much needed enhanced facilities including lockers and showers to encourage more visitors to visit the town centre and complements the many other projects which have been implemented to improve the town, such as redevelopment of the riverside car parking area, upgrading the CCTV and demolition of dilapidated buildings.
Another project to benefit from the funding is based in the Thurso ward and will support the wellbeing of young people in the area.
Councillor Bremner added: "We are also aware of further funding from the Coastal Communities Fund of over £400,000 in the new financial year for Caithness. We look forward to discussing the distribution of those funds with officers in the next couple of months.”
To be successful projects are expected to be able to meet at least one of the following priorities:
- Economic recovery
- Community resilience
- Mitigating the impact of the climate/ecological emergency
- Addressing the challenges of rural life
Projects should also be able to demonstrate that they are sustainable, provide value for money, have local support and benefits and will have a positive impact for coastal communities and/or the coastal economy.
Following the discussions, the committee agreed that £49,882.85 be allocated to High Life Highland (HLH) for a project led by its youth work team to provide a programme of "supported wellbeing focussed activities" across the Thurso and Northwest Caithness Ward area.
This project will see the HLH team work with local partners including third sector organisations and schools to target young people and families to take part in a range of high-quality leisure and learning opportunities that they would otherwise face significant barriers to accessing and having the benefits of.
Participants on the programme will be given the opportunity to co-create the range of activities with project staff including:
- Twelve weeks family outdoor learning activities led by HLH Ranger services
- A summer outdoor activity programme for young people led by HLH outdoor activities team
- Two youth residential weekends
- Ten family memberships for Thurso Leisure Centre with full access to all leisure activities, including teen gym sessions and teen spin classes
- Two week programme of seasonal family activities
- Twelve-week programme of music tuition for young people
The project will run from April 2022 to March 2023.
The HCCF is a new fund designed to support economic regeneration and sustainable development around coastal areas in Highland. It is derived from revenue generated by Scottish Government Crown Estate marine assets. Each year, local authorities are allocated a proportion of the profits.
Related article:
Funding for £250,000 revamped public toilets in Wick in place
