One Week Of Community Voting Remaining: Have Your Say On Which Cumbernauld Groups Receive Funding

There is just over one week left to participate in an online Community Voting Survey which will determine which of a range of community proposals in the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Northern Corridor area receive public funding.

Local citizens have been responding in their droves in recent weeks, with almost 900 people casting votes so far to help decide which of 31 community and voluntary sector organisations operating in Greater Cumbernauld receive between £250 and £500 to deliver specified community projects to benefit the area.

The Survey, which can be accessed by clicking here, closes on Wednesday 30 June 2021 at 12.00noon, and your contribution could make all the difference as the voting is currently very close between several of the proposals as the race enters its final lap. Indeed, your vote could be the key factor on whether a proposal ultimately receives funding or whether one misses out.

Those living in Greater Cumbernauld and others with an interest in the wider Cumbernauld community are asked to participate in the online Survey, which will take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete. Respondents are invited to select the three proposals they believe to be most worthy of being funded.

The organisations which have submitted proposals for voting are (in alphabetical order) 2496 Cumbernauld Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets, 2nd Clyde Moodiesburn Scout Group, AD Framing, Auchinloch Community Council, Balloch Eastfield Football Club, Cardowan Community Meadow, Chryston and Muirhead Gala Committee, Croy Community Hub, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Care, Cumbernauld Community Forum, Cumbernauld Discoverers, Cumbernauld FM, Cumbernauld Junior Netball Club, Cumbernauld Male Voice Choir, Cumbernauld Poverty Action, Cumbernauld Resilience, Cumbernauld Scrabble Club, Cumbernauld Together, Etive Neighbourhood Watch, FAMS (Families Against Murder and Suicide), Friends of Gartcosh, Holy Cross Croy, Lanarkshire Epilepsy, New Adventures, North Area Crime Prevention Panel, North Lanarkshire Disability Access Panel, Northern Corridor Community Volunteers, PALS (Play and Learning Support), Thistle Divers, Wee Cycle Cumbernauld and Westfield Senior Citizens Group.

It is anticipated that funding will be awarded to around half of all proposals (the most-voted-for ones), with the exact number of organisations receiving grants depending on the monetary value of the top ranked proposals.

This Participatory Budgeting (PB) activity forms part of Cumbernauld CAN (Community Anchor Network), a Scottish Government-supported project introduced by Cornerstone House Centre in 2020 which aims to develop the connected capacity of the Greater Cumbernauld community. Over a three-year period, the project is striving to enable Cumbernauld residents and organisations to work together to become better at responding to local needs, built on the theme of community empowerment.   

The funds being distributed are from Small Grants PB Fund Round 3, a small grants programme which was announced as part of Cumbernauld CAN in May 2021. Through Small Grants PB Fund Round 3, community-led voluntary groups benefiting the local area were invited to bid for a small grant of between £50 and £500 under the PB model. This was open to charities, SCIOs, unincorporated associations and any other not-for-profit group.

Twelve months ago, over 1,000 votes resulted in 11 community groups receiving funding and initiating a range of successful projects through Small Grants PB Fund Round 1. Activities funded then included establishment of a new weekly running event in Cumbernauld, continuation of a ‘Sheila Shed’ group for older women in the local area, facilitation of outings for children with additional support needs and teaching repair skills to Cumbernauld citizens.

And in February 2021, almost 1,500 Survey votes resulted in awarding of funds to 27 organisations through Small Grants PB Fund Round 2. This funding round enabled activities such as the installation of a life-saving defibrillator for full-time use in the Chryston area, the purchase of clothing for primary school aged children affected by poverty and the furnishing of four refuge accommodation houses for Cumbernauld women and children affected by domestic abuse.

If your organisation operates within Greater Cumbernauld but has missed out an applying for funding through Small Grants PB Fund Round 3, the good news is that plans are afoot for Cornerstone House Centre to release a fourth round of PB funding later in the year.

Originally, the project had intended for funding allocation to be decided through in-person Community Voting Events, however this has not been possible over the past year because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. An online Community Voting Survey was considered as a fair alternative way for members of the public to have the opportunity to cast their vote, also ensuring that applicant organisations do not have to wait many more months for a decision.

If you would like further information or have an enquiry in relation to the Community Voting process or Cumbernauld CAN project, please telephone Cornerstone House Centre on 01236 739220 or email events@cornerstone-house.org.uk.

Click Here to Complete the Community Voting Survey for Small Grants PB Fund Round 3

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Why not circulate the Community Voting Survey link (www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Cumbernauld-Community-Voting) so friends and family members can complete it? After all, the more people that vote for your favourite proposals, the better the chance they have of being funded. Remember that each individual is only allowed to complete the Survey once.  

Be fast however, as Survey votes cannot be submitted after 12.00noon on Wednesday 30 June 2021. Final Survey results and details of which proposals have been awarded funding will be published next month.