Charities set for up to £5,000 funding from Scottish Building Society Foundation
Scottish Building Society marked its Annual General Meeting (AGM) by announcing funding to support eight local charities and good causes across the country.
The funding comes via the Scottish Building Society Foundation which awards individual grants of up to £5,000 to help an applicant’s cause.
To date the Foundation as granted over £150,000 to good causes across Scotland since it launched in 2023.
The grants were awarded to Very Inclusive Play Club, Forth Canoe Club, Ochil Trail Association, Bridgeton Community Learning Campus, The Birks Cinema Trust, Works+, Trossachs Tigers Hockey Club and Duntocher Village Hall whom all received donations to support their initiatives in their community.
The Very Inclusive Playgroup in Edinburgh offers an inclusive and compassionate community for families who have a child with additional support needs. Funding will allow expansion of its services to offer more of its structured groups for children under 5, which focus on specific areas in order to support development.
Forth Canoe Club, in Edinburgh is a charity set up to encourage more public participation in sport. Funding from the Foundation will support the provision of access to canoeing for local children and their parents.
Ochil Tail Association operates various mountain bike and walking trails across Clackmannashire and will use its funding to support the maintenance of these paths for all users.
Bridgeton Community Learning in the East End of Glasgow will use its grant to further its work supporting local businesses and organisations based in Bridgeton.
The Birks Cinema Trust based in Aberfeldy will use its funding to support a programme of community activities designed to support social inclusion and enhance wellbeing.
Scottish Border’s based employment charity, Works+ will use the grant to support the work they do to help young people aged 16-24 get into work, further education or training.
Trossachs Tigers Hockey Club based in Stirling will be using its grant funding to purchase new equipment and facility hire costs for children across rural Stirlingshire to encourage more kids to get into hockey.
Duntocher Village Hall will use its support to fund essential repair work to the hall’s wooden floor, ensuring it can reopen for community use once again.
Paul Denton, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Building Society said: “As we welcome members to our AGM this year, it feels fitting to celebrate the incredible work charities do in their local communities, and we are proud to support their efforts through this next round of funding.
“The Scottish Building Society Foundation is designed to give back to communities and since it began it has supported good causes to make a difference right across Scotland, from Highlands to the Scottish Borders.
“All the charities and community organisations who have been successful in their applications have a fantastic cause and we look forward to seeing their positive work go further as a result of the funding they have received. By investing in good causes, we are building stronger communities.”
Scottish Building Society Foundation was established by Scottish Building Society in partnership with Foundation Scotland in May 2023 to align with the organisation’s 175th anniversary, with an initial £175,000 earmarked for local charities and good causes across Scotland.
Since then it has provided over £150,000 shared among 43 charities, with the latest funding coinciding with a successful year for the world’s oldest remaining building society.
In April the society revealed total assets rose by 17% in the last 12 months, seeing them double since 2020 to £866.5m, while its mortgage portfolio grew by 7% and retail savings balances rose by 20% – well above the market average.
Additionally, for the fifth consecutive time, Scottish Building Society was recognised as the ‘Best Building Society’ at the 2024 Scottish Mortgage Awards, with Mr Denton also receiving the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.
Mr Denton said: “Over the past 12 months we’ve seen strong results driven by our commitment to the communities we serve, building loyalty and trust with our members to provide them with the services they need.
“As a mutual, we make decisions exclusively for the benefit of our members, not shareholders and today, that feels more important than ever.
“That’s why we continue to invest in relationship centres, passbook savings accounts, and a personal approach, while at the same time developing our digital tools to give members secure, convenient access to their accounts.”
For more information on the Scottish Building Society Foundation, visit:
https://www.scottishbs.co.uk/scottish-building-society-foundation