Additional Cumbernauld CAN Funding Boost For Community Groups Providing Vital Services

Twenty-seven community and voluntary sector organisations from Greater Cumbernauld that were awarded funding through Cumbernauld CAN (Community Anchor Network) this month have received a further boost with news that they are to benefit from an additional £8,872 being distributed.

In early February, Cornerstone House Centre reported that every organisation that applied to Small Grants PB Fund Round 2 received at least a grant of £667 following a closely-contested public vote in which citizens decided which local area proposals received funding.   

Altogether, just over £20,000 of Scottish Government funding was distributed across Cumbernauld communities using Participatory Budgeting (PB), a process where ordinary people are given power to democratically and collectively make key decisions on how public funding is spent.

It followed a Community Voting Survey in which 1,475 local citizens took part to select which not-for-profit groups they would like to see receive grants of up to £1,000 to deliver specified community projects to benefit the Greater Cumbernauld area.

Now, less than a month after the Survey results were revealed, Cornerstone House Centre has successfully negotiated an increase of grant for each one of the 27 funded proposals after additional funds were authorised by Scottish Government for community distribution.

This means that the six most-voted-for proposals will receive a 20% top-up to their original award, with a further 21 organisations benefiting significantly from an extra 55% funding. Mary McNeil, Development Manager at Cornerstone House Centre, commented:

“An extra sum of almost £9,000 has been made available through the Cumbernauld CAN programme for 2020-21, and Cornerstone House Centre’s desire was that this money be invested in the communities of Greater Cumbernauld.

“With not enough time available to conduct another comprehensive PB process before the funds require to be distributed, a decision was taken to upgrade the funding pot of Small Grants PB Fund Round 2 from £20,000 to £28,872.

“As a result, Bethlehem House of Bread Food Bank, the overall winner of the Community Voting Survey, will now receive £1,200 instead of £1,000 to deliver its proposal of financing a part-time worker, paying volunteer expenses and maintaining Food Bank vehicle upkeep during the early part of 2021.

“This will enable the organisation to provide a valuable emergency food provision service to around 240 people per month who are experiencing food poverty during the winter. Furthermore, it will allow for the purchase and delivery of essential groceries to Cumbernauld families and single people who are in isolation or experiencing financial difficulties during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Equally, projects facilitated by North Lanarkshire Women’s Aid, Cumbernauld Resilience Group, CACE Older People Active Lives, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Care and Palacerigg Community Farm will also be bolstered by a £200 upgrade.

“Meanwhile, 21 organisations who were initially only partially-funded for their proposals will now receive £1,032 each, more than 100% of the funds they originally requested.

“This applies to Abronhill Regeneration Forum, Chryston Community Council, Cumbernauld Colts Community Football Club, PALS (Play and Learning Support), Cumbernauld Poverty Action, Watch Us Grow, Northern Corridor Community Volunteers, Cumbernauld Together, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, Clyde Football Club Community Foundation, St Lucy’s Youth Zone, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland, Police Scotland Youth Volunteers Cumbernauld, Partners In Play, Cumbernauld FM Ltd, North Area Crime Prevention Panel, Cumbernauld Community Forum, One Parent Families Scotland (North Lanarkshire Service), Tool Library Cumbernauld and AD Framing.”

As previously communicated, organisations that were unaware of or did not submit proposals through Small Grants PB Fund Round 2 may have an opportunity to apply again later this year through Small Grants PB Fund Round 3.

Allocation of this funding stream will once again be decided by local citizens through a PB process. More information will be posted on Cornerstone House Centre’s website and social media platforms in due course.

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WHAT IMPACT WILL THE FUNDING HAVE ON THE GREATER CUMBERNAULD AREA?

With 27 community-focussed organisations receiving funds, it is anticipated that thousands of residents across Greater Cumbernauld will benefit directly and indirectly from the £28,872 distributed through Small Grants PB Fund Round 2. A brief summary of each organisation’s vision to impact and benefit local citizens is highlighted below:

Bethlehem House of Bread Food Bank will seek to invest £1,200 in enabling the organisation to continue provide a valuable emergency food provision service to around 120 Cumbernauld families per month who are experiencing food poverty.

North Lanarkshire Women’s Aid will utilise £1,200 to furnish four refuge accommodation houses for women, children and young people from Greater Cumbernauld affected by domestic abuse.

Cumbernauld Resilience Group plans to spend £1,200 on preparing and delivering up to 1,000 freshly cooked and nutritious meals to local families experiencing poverty in early 2021.

CACE Older People Active Lives will invest its £1,200 in creating and delivering bespoke Activity Packs to 200 vulnerable service users with a view to alleviating social isolation and encouraging them to do creative activities at home during periods of lockdown and shielding.

Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Care intends to use £1,200 to purchase clothing as part of its ‘Winter Woollies’ project, which will provide for between 250-300 primary school aged children affected by poverty, unemployment, social deprivation and self-isolation.

Palacerigg Community Farm (Palacerigg Animal Park CIC) will spend £1,200 on constructing a donkey shelter at Palacerigg Country Park, creating an area of hard standing where two donkeys can be protected from the rain and allow their feet to dry out.

Abronhill Regeneration Forum proposes to invest £1,032 in working with Under the Trees and Cumbernauld Living Landscape to facilitate a programme of events promoting the natural facilities of Cumbernauld Glen, an ancient woodland and habitat for local wildlife.

Chryston Community Council will use £1,032 to purchase a life-saving defibrillator to be made available for full-time use in the Northern Corridor areas of Mollinsburn, Crowwood, Muirhead, Chryston and Mount Ellen.

Cumbernauld Colts Community Football Club plans to devote £1,032 to reducing and removing monthly Club fees for families in need during the second half of the 2020-21 season, helping children interested in football but unable to take part because of family financial difficulties.

PALS (Play and Learning Support) will apply £1,032 to sending out monthly packages to over 100 disadvantaged children during both March and April, enabling young people with complex needs to benefit from movie boxes, magazines, arts and crafts materials and outdoor play equipment.

Cumbernauld Poverty Action seeks to utilise £1,032 to continue a successful telephone appeals representation service for people who require to attend a remote Social Security Tribunal via telephone due to contingency arrangements arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch Us Grow plans to invest its £1,032 award in new technology equipment to enable service users, primarily Cumbernauld adults with additional support needs, to track and film community garden wildlife at Palacerigg Country Park during lockdown.

Northern Corridor Community Volunteers will utilise £1,032 to coordinate Moodiesburn Community Food Growing Skill-Sharing Workshops between April and August 2021, enabling locally grown vegetables to be produced and distributed free of charge to vulnerable people.

Cumbernauld Together will employ £1,032 to deliver a Winter-Spring Programme of youth orientated activities in partnership with Cumbernauld-based organisations, allowing disadvantaged 5-16 year-olds with opportunities to participate in taekwondo, drama and football.

Cornerstone Christian Fellowship intends to use £1,032 to purchase and install on-site camera equipment at its base at Cornerstone House, enabling church services and activities to be streamed and recorded on a regular basis during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Clyde Football Club Community Foundation seeks to spend £1,032 on delivering a mental health programme entitled Clyde United, supporting those experiencing mental illness and addictions through the power of football.

St Lucy’s Youth Zone plans to invest £1,032 in hiring a drive-through cinema over the course of 2-3 nights during 2021 to entertain and engage youth group participants in response to the fact that the children have missed out on several outings and activities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) will utilise £1,032 to resource additional hours to develop and implement a promotion of the availability of debt services and counselling in the Cumbernauld area and to encourage people to seek support and advice.

Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland will put £1,032 towards coordinating crucial online groups, virtual one-to-one support and substantial wellbeing checks for 70 isolated adults with spina bifida and / or hydrocephalus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police Scotland Youth Volunteers Cumbernauld seeks to invest £1,032 in enabling 24 young volunteers to work on and support various local projects incorporating specific interventions to improve neighbourhoods, reduce crime and fundraise for Cumbernauld charities.

Partners In Play proposes to use £1,032 to purchase a range of vital equipment which will contribute significantly towards the personal development of young people with support needs, including soft play apparatus, arts and crafts materials, board games and musical instruments.

Cumbernauld FM Ltd intends to spend £1,032 on working with the organisation Characters in the Community to enable 120 local children to meet a friendly dressed-up mascot character and receive a £5 gift voucher from them.

North Area Crime Prevention Panel will employ £1,032 to make up and deliver food and amenity parcels for people living in Carbrain and surrounding areas who are disabled, elderly or experiencing poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cumbernauld Community Forum will ring-fence a discretionary community resilience budget of £1,032 for the purposes of helping local communities, individuals and families affected significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One Parent Families Scotland (North Lanarkshire Service) plans to apply £1,032 to support vulnerable single parent families across Greater Cumbernauld through various means, including providing a £30 Fuel Crisis Grant to each of them.

Tool Library Cumbernauld seeks to use £1,032 to subsidise organisational membership costs for five local community groups and put together specific tool kits in consultation with these groups for the purposes of DIY, gardening, crafts, sports and kitchen usage.

AD Framing will maximise £1,032 to continue to operate its entirely volunteer-led picture framing service from the Link Community Centre beyond the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, with funds covering weekly lets, framing materials and health and safety equipment.

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For further information about Cumbernauld CAN or Small Grants PB Fund Round 2, please contact Cornerstone House Centre on 07940 569527 or email events@cornerstone-house.org.uk.