Agenda item

Five applications for consideration:

a)         Survivors Unite (to follow)

b)         Wilton Park & Hawick Tennis Club (to follow)

c)         Escape Youth Project (to follow)

d)         Hawick Reivers Festival (to follow)

e)         Hawick Rugby (to follow)

3.1         Duncan Taylor, Community Fund Pot B panellist, presented recommendations for applications to the Community Fund Pot B.

(a)          Survivors Unite
Survivors Unite was a Borders-wide organisation for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.  An application was received for £5,000 to fund administration salary costs.  The panel recommended that the applicants approach Community Funds of other Area Partnerships due to their being a Borders-wide organisation.

DECISION
AGREED to:

(i)        award Survivors Unite a grant of £5,000 for administration salary costs; and,

(ii)       recommend the applicant explored other funding sources including the Community Funds of other Area Partnerships in the Borders.

(b)          Wilton Park and Hawick Tennis Club
The Community Fund Pot B panel recommended to award £4,000 to Wilton Park and Hawick Tennis Club to fund Summer of Tennis taster session for community groups of varying ages and disabilities.  The Locality Development Coordinator clarified that the applicant was applying for funding from other sources for 2 separate projects, including making up the difference for the total cost of this project, and that did not conflict with the project submitted to the Community Fund.

DECISION
AGREED to award Wilton Park and Hawick Tennis Club a grant of £4,000.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Ramage declared an interest in the following item of business in terms of Section 5 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct and left the Meeting during the discussion.

(c)          Escape Youth Project
An application from Escape Youth Project was received for a games hall upgrade.  The Panel requested that further quotes for the games hall works be sought. It was noted that 2 elements of work were due to be carried out with the first element able to be carried out by local contractors, but the second element requiring quite specialised input.

DECISION
AGREED to award Escape Youth Project a grant of £4,990.36, subject to the following condition:

(i)        The applicant obtained further quotes for the games hall work in respect of the first element of the work involved.

MEMBER

Councillor Ramage re-joined the Meeting.

(d)          Hawick Reivers Festival
The Community Fund Pot B panel recommended to award a grant of £5,000 to Hawick Reivers Festival for the delivery of the Hawick Reivers Festival.  In response to a question about the possibility of funding for the Reivers Festival from the Council’s wider Festivals Grant budget, the Clerk to the Council advised that this was currently fully committed and it would be a matter for SBC Elected Members to increase that budget at the Council meeting in February 2022 when the budget for 2022/23 was agreed.

DECISION
AGREED to award Hawick Reivers Festival a grant of £5,000.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor McAteer declared an interest in the following item of business in terms of Section 5 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct and left the Meeting during consideration of the following application.

(e)          Hawick Rugby Football Club
The applicant submitted a request for a grant to fund coaching equipment, an e-sign and a mascot outfit.  In response to questions from attendants, Graham Hogg of Hawick Rugby Football Club explained that the Club had tried to secure a mascot outfit for some time and that this could be costly.  Sponsorship had been sought from a number of companies but had been unsuccessful.  Mr Taylor advised that Hawick Rugby Football Club was still to submit their equalities statement and that as a member of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), they would have signed-up to the SRU equalities statement.

DECISION
AGREED to award Hawick Rugby Football Club a grant of £4,200, subject to the following conditions:

(i)        If the cost of the mascot rose above the price detailed in the application, this difference must be met by the applicant; and,

(ii)       Hawick Rugby Football Club submitted its equalities statement.