Agenda item

(i)      Kelso Salmon Fishing Museum

(ii)    Lothian Hall, Crailing

(Copies attached.)

5.0       CHEVIOT COMMUNITY FUND ASSESSMENTS 2019-20

5.1       An explanation of the SBC’s Community Fund application process was included in the

information on the tables at the meeting. This was a fund available to community and

voluntary groups to help support community activity.  Grants of up to £5k for non-constituted groups and £10k for constituted groups were available. In exceptional cases up to £30k was available for constituted groups. Applications submitted to SBC were assessed by the Communities and Partnership team and if they met the fund criteria, would go forward to Area Partnership meetings with an officer recommendation.  Assessments would be included in agenda papers and those who attended the Area Partnership meetings would be asked if they agreed with the recommendation made by the SBC officer.  Ms Smith referred to the Interim Assessment forms, circulated at the meeting and summarised below, which gave details of an application for Cheviot Area Partnership to consider:-

5.2       Kelso Salmon Fishing Museum  

Funding of £10,000 had been requested by the River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum to establish a permanent exhibition of salmon and the sport of angling in the centre of its birthplace, Kelso.  The Museum was planned to be based in Kelso Town Hall and sought to bring a currently vacant space in the heart of the town into a sympathetic use.  The museum itself would include displays of the history, heritage and its influence in the social and economic development of the town within the Scottish Borders and Scotland.  The applicant was seeking support for a contribution to the ‘fitting out works’ and in particular the creation of the glass display cabinets.  These required to be made to measure to accommodate the irregular shaped walls within the building and to maximize the space for exhibits, as well as being able to be locked.  Funding would also be used to create wall and window displays.  Entry to the museum would be free and it was intended to be open to the public seven days a week for ten months of the year.  The recommendation to the Cheviot Area Partnership was to approve the funding request in full.

DECISION

AGREED to grant funding of £10,000 from the 2019/20 Community Fund to the River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum.

5.3       Lothian Hall, Crailing   

Funding of £2,462.40 had been requested to enhance the access to Lothian Hall, Crailing.   Lothian Hall served a rural community with many of the users travelling in from outlying settlements, the parking was on the roadside or in the gravel area to the rear of the hall, resulting in many of the users having trouble accessing the hall safely.  The user base for the hall was ageing, with several of the members using wheelchairs and they were finding it difficult to access the hall along the existing gravel path without significant levels of help.  The Hall provided opportunities for individuals to maintain social connections in turn encouraging users to maintain their independence, yet the current situation compromised this before users could get into the hall.  There were similar access challenges for parents with small children and buggies.  With the proposed closure of day centres and an expectation that clients would attend community activities instead, there was an increasing pressure on village halls – therefore ensuring adequate access was an important issue for the small rural community.  The local community had no shops or schools and therefore the hall was a key community asset for residents.   The proposed works were intended to create a dedicated parking bay to the front of the hall, together with an improved path access with tarmac surface to enable access for people with wheelchairs, walkers and prams.  The access paths would be graded to both entrance doors.  Funding of £10,000 had been secured from the national Lottery Community Funding.   

DECISION

AGREED to grant £6,250.52 from the 2019/20 Community Fund to Lothian Hall, Crailing for improvements to the access to the Hall and car parking