£357,000 grant from the Scottish Land Fund set to help Highland community buy woodland near Tomatin
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Woodland in Tomatin looks set to pass into community ownership thanks to a £357,000 grant from the Scottish Land Fund.
Strathdearn Community Development will use its grant of £356,934 to purchase land at Hazelbank woods in order to create a more biodiverse and sustainable woodland environment, which will be used by the community for recreation and wellbeing.
The money was one of 11 new grants, totalling a combined £2.4 million, that were awarded to projects across Scotland.
Steven Knott, chairman of Strathdearn Community Developments, said: “The purchase of Hazelbank woods will be a fantastic achievement for our community and will help us meet long held aspirations to bring woodland in the heart of Tomatin into the custodianship of the community.
Related: PICTURES: Highland residents show community spirit at street party
“We are hugely grateful to the Scottish Land Fund for providing us with this level of funding, which will be added to our community funds to facilitate the purchase of Hazelbank Woods. I’ve no doubt that the purchase will see the whole community brought together to celebrate the recreational, health & wellbeing and educational opportunities that community ownership will bring to Strathdearn’’
The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2021, and is funded by the Scottish Government.
Mairi Gougeon, cabinet secretary for rural affairs, land reform and islands, said: “The Scottish Land Fund is a valuable tool, allowing local groups to develop projects that will provide lasting benefits to their communities, in both urban and rural areas.
“It is especially welcome to see projects that will positively impact not just people but local wildlife and biodiversity too. This aligns with our wider goal to ensure that communities can reap the benefits during our transition to a green future for Scotland.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the successful groups. It is their expertise and limitless passion that are the real drivers of change in our communities across the nation.”
The fund is delivered in partnership by the National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to acquire and develop their assets.
Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund committee chairwoman, said: “This current round of funding demonstrates the importance of the Scottish Land Fund in helping both urban and rural areas to achieve their goals. SLF grants will enable these groups to unlock other funding and take positive actions to help their communities to thrive.”
And Sandra Holmes, head of community assets at HIE, added: “The groups receiving funding have all identified opportunities to help their local areas to thrive.
"The projects are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities.
"Ownership will give them greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come. We wish every successful organisation the very best in their new ventures.”
