Heritage Lottery Fund - Landscape Partnership

The latest meeting to discuss Arran's bid for Heritage Lottery funding was on 1st October. In the absence of Walking the Talk consultant Chris Yorke, Graeme Walker of Scottish Natural Heritage chaired the meeting, during which those present discussed the most appropriate deadline to aim for. Following on from Chris Yorke's advice, the clear and highly positive result of discussions so far has been to use the time available to create a strong, cohesive and appropriate bid. The next meeting, on 27th October 2008, will focus on developing a strategy among all groups involved. Arran must demonstrate that it is unified and organised for a bid to HLF to be viable, especially as the island covers a large area as defined by the HLF eligibility rules.

The next application deadline will be identified in due course and the meeting on the 27th will be open to all.

Funding Information Event - 30th September

In partnership with North Ayrshire Council, a funding information event has been organised for Tuesday 30th September 2008 at The Garrison on Cumbrae. This event will specifically focus on the current LEADER programme, which is now open for applications, and the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), which has just commenced.

Both programmes are now open to applications from Cumbrae-based community groups. For more information on the event, and to book your place, please call Helen in the office. If you would like to discuss your project with a Project Worker, please let us know so that a time slot may be booked for you.

Heritage Lottery Fund Meeting - 3rd October 2008

The third meeting of potential partners in the Landscape Partnership bid was held on 3rd September. The attendance by many community groups indicated that interest in the funding is high, and a follow-on meeting date has been set for

1st October. In the meantime, Walking The Talk consultant Chris York will present the groups' ideas to the Heritage Lottery panel for appraisal. With the next deadline set at 30th November, time is tight, and the plan is to  form a steering group at the October 1st meeting so that an outline bid can be drafted.

Arran Access Trust have been central in the organisation of discussions so far, but it is important to recognise that every potential project must have Heritage as its rationale. Chris York stressed the need for a cohesive "vision", and advised that currently disparate projects will need to develop a "partnership approach" in order to convince HLF that Arran's bid is viable. We are still keen to hear from interested groups who may have appropriate project ideas. For more information on necessary objectives, and to view successful projects, go to HLF's website