NORTH EDINBURGH’s ‘LOCAL TREASURE’ TO OPEN EARLY 2025
- £1.7 million Community Ownership Funding secures North Edinburgh Arts
- Government funding will save at least 35 community centres, helping fix the foundations of our communities as part of the Plan for Change
- Money will boost opportunities and help grow local economies, supporting the government’s drive for national renewal
- This will help kickstart economic growth and rebuild Britain in a decade of renewal
Cherished community centres are among the 85 local venues across the UK that are set to receive government support to stay open, helping to fix the foundations of our communities. One of these is North Edinburgh Arts, which will receive £1.7 million.
An additional £36 million of funding has been provided to back local communities, including the rescue of at least 35 community centres, protecting vital local services, boosting opportunities for working families and supporting local economies.
As set out in its Plan for Change, the government is committed to kickstarting economic growth and raising living standards. Thriving communities lie at the heart of a thriving economy, and the support provided by the Community Ownership Fund will inject funding where it is most needed, making change happen and bringing people together in the process.
The projects will support the government on its path to national renewal, helping realise our regions’ huge potential while creating safer and happier streets by restoring community pride.
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said: “We are delivering on our Plan for Change by saving these vital community assets to provide important opportunities for working people and their families.
“These projects represent what is so special about communities across the UK – bringing people of all ages together, providing vital support and giving them a sense of purpose and belonging.
“Every project will support social causes in the community, keeping widely used services open and thriving to improve people’s health and wellbeing.”
In Scotland, £5 million will be awarded to 11 projects including the £1.7 million to refurbish and expand the community arts centre in Muirhouse – North Edinburgh Arts’ MacMillan Hub.
In a statement, North Edinburgh Arts said: “North Edinburgh Arts is delighted to be one of 85 community owned venues across the UK receiving support from the Community Ownership Fund. Announced yesterday, £1.7m is earmarked for NEA to complete our build programme, kit out the venue and refurbish our much-loved community garden.
“Sitting at the heart of our community the expanded and refurbished venue will run to over 2000m2, housing a 96 seat theatre, 72 seat café, welcome area, 2 wood workshops, 5 multi-purpose studios, 6 artist studios, music room, 4 offices, greenhouse, and the half-acre community garden. It will be bustling again in 2025 with a creative and community programme; shaped by the people who own, use, and love it.
“Funders of all types, large and small, public and private, have supported the community’s vision and bought into NEA’s ambitious plans. Many individuals have supported our crowd funder over the past year too.
“The Board and NEA team are thankful to all our supporters, and thrilled that the Community Ownership Fund brings us to our capital target. We couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our local Councillors, MSPs, and our MP, Tracy Gilbert.
“But, mostly, we couldn’t have done this without the support of our neighbours, participants, and our community. Thank you all. We’ll see you in 2025 when we throw the doors open once again!”
Edinburgh North and Leith MP said: “I am delighted that the UK Government have announced the successful projects in the Community Ownership Fund including £1.7 million for @northedinarts in Edinburgh North and Leith.
Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris said: “These are all multi-functional spaces that do so much for local people and most of us will have fond memories in treasured places like these.
“We’ve prioritised these grants to help preserve and upgrade what these vital places offer to their communities – whether that’s improving access to sport and education, tackling loneliness or boosting family services for parents and children.
“This is just the start of our work to support communities and give them greater control of their assets and we’ll be setting out our full strategy next year.”
Action4Youth, a youth charity in the South East, has been given £300,000 to refurbish the George Amey Centre in Milton Keynes, securing its future as a centre for outdoor education and supporting the charity’s work to tackle knife and gang crime.
Chief Executive of Action4Youth, Jenifer Cameron said: “We are so grateful to have funding which will enable us to complete our renovation project and to ensure the future of the outdoor centre which benefits 15,000 children and young people each year.
“We can now look forward with optimism and hope to support many more young people in future.”
Nineteen sports clubs and leisure facilities across the country will be saved, including four historic swimming pools. These include the 1960s Portishead Lido in North Somerset – where funding will also be used to renovate the café, supporting the local economy – and one of the last tidal pools left in the country, the Victorian Shoalstone Pool in Devon.
On the Isle of Wight, the Isorropia Foundation will receive more than £1m to purchase and renovate the Medina Valley Centre so it can provide a range of community services including mental health support, training and educational opportunities. And Elmfield Hall in Accrington will be renovated to secure its future as a location for counselling, mentoring and employment courses.
The MacMillan Hub in Edinburgh will be backed with £1.7m so it can continue to promote culture, learning and training opportunities, work and well-being in and around the town centre, and expand its café.
And more than £1m will be used to restore the Higher Woodhill Viaduct so the East Lancashire Railway can continue to deliver a heritage railway experience, boosting the local tourism industry in the process.
To tackle loneliness and support rural communities, £3.8 million will go to eight parks and eight pubs, including £300,000 to help buy back a popular village pub in North Yorkshire – The Punch Bowl Inn. £300,000 will also be used to renovate a 200-year-old countryside pub in Gwyned, Wales – Tafarn y Plu. This funding will back local businesses, create jobs and drive growth while restoring community pride.
The Westminster government is also developing proposals for delivering on its manifesto commitment to introduce a stronger ‘Right to Buy’ and take over important community assets so they can determine their future in a meaningful way.
This will be a genuine shift so local people feel far more control, power and agency in the places they live.