Awards for All grant for Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
Local community group Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden is one of 22 Edinburgh projects to receive a share of £1.1 million National Lottery Awards for All funding. The community group receives £9800 to commission a feasibilty study and conduct community consultation to plan for the future use and restoration of Granton Castle’s historic walled garden.
Awards for All makes grants from £300 to £10,000 to voluntary and community groups across the country. Other Edinburgh groups to receive an award include The Yard, Dads Rock and Forrester High School.
Edinburgh Limb Loss Association (ELLA) provides a wide range of support to amputees who live in the city. Thanks to an award of £3,850, they can continue to run their weekly swimming sessions at the pool in Braidburn School in the city.
The project will be able to help people like 57 year old James Jarvie. After having his lower left leg amputated following a blood clot in December 2016, James was keen to get back into exercise to help him with his recovery. He said, “I plucked up the courage to go swimming but it took a while as I had lost a bit of confidence and wasn’t going out much. I have been going for a year now as it’s still pretty much the only exercise I can do.
“It’s really difficult for someone in my position to go to a normal swimming baths as they don’t have the necessary equipment or specially trained lifeguards. I know I speak on behalf of everyone at ELLA when I say it’s so important to us all to keep this going.”
Sally Sorrie, Vice Chair of ELLA, said, “Being able to continue these weekly private swimming sessions is a real bonus for us as it not only keeps us fit, which can be challenging as an amputee, but also gives us a chance to get together and socialise with like-minded people. On behalf of everyone at the group I would like to thank National Lottery players for helping us to continue the activities of our wonderful organisation.”
A National Lottery Awards for All spokesperson said, “This is National Lottery money in action, reaching into communities across Scotland making a real difference to the people who live there. The 154 groups receiving funding today showcases the range of projects that can be funded through this programme and the difference that the smallest amounts of money can make.”
National Lottery Awards for All Scotland is now more straightforward to apply to and faster to get funding from. Applications are received on a rolling basis and can be received at any time.
To find out what National Lottery Awards for All Scotland could do for your community visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/awardsforallscotland or phone 0300 123 7110.
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