Volunteering in forest work will aid community

Oct 8 2008 by Robert Mitchell, Wishaw Press

COMMUNITY groups looking to branch out in Wishaw could cash in from a £10,000 grant from environmental charity Central Scotland Forest Trust.

For they are launching the new £10,000 community fund which will award grants to support eligible volunteering projects within the Central Scotland Forest area

The Community Volunteer Fund is open to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations with experience of delivering volunteering projects.

The fund is directed to new or increased volunteering activity in the Forest area and applicants need to show real willingness to get local communities involved in projects within the Central Scotland Forest boundary.

This is the only definite requirement, however, and interest in the new grant fund is expected to be high as, unusually, the grant can cover up to the entire cost of a project.

Simon Rennie, chief executive of the Central Scotland Forest Trust, said: “The whole ethos of the Central Scotland Forest Trust is to improve the lives of people within our catchment area.

“This grant allows us to support initiatives which improve skills and confidence as much as improving the surrounding environment, so the potential benefits are greatly magnified.

“It’s sometimes hard to get resources for very worthwhile projects, even when local people are willing to give their labour and talents for free.

“Through the Community Volunteer Fund, we hope to make it easier for people to get started and to help them make a real difference to their own space around the towns and villages within the Central Scotland Forest area.”

The fund particularly welcomes applications from volunteering projects which offer potential for creating a better environment, enhancing quality of life, conserving and contributing to cultural heritage and contemporary culture and tackling disadvantage and exclusion in the Forest.

All volunteering activities must take place in Central Scotland Forest area.

If your organisation meets the above criteria and you would like to register your interest in receiving details about the fund and an application form, e-mail volunteer@csft.org.uk by this Friday, October 10. Application packs will be issued by Friday, October 17 and must be completed and returned by 5pm on Friday, November 14.