Ardbeg Islay single malt Scotch whisky established a £ 1million to support community and environmental projects on Islay.

Working in cooperation South Islay Development (SID) and Ardbeg were delighted to launch the Ardbeg All Islay Fund on the 30th of January 2023 inviting applications from groups and projects right across the island. The fund will run over a 5-year period with £200,000 per year to be allocated and distributed.

A series of open-day sessions were held in Port Ellen, Bowmore, Ballygrant and Port Charlotte for the SID team to meet the community groups and give them an opportunity to ask questions and become more informed about the fund.

SID has been delighted by the enthusiastic interest in the fund and has worked hard to ensure due diligence was undertaken to ensure the process works for all parties, including establishing an independent cross-Islay panel.

By the deadline on the 13th of March, there were 41 completed applications received from projects spanning the whole of Islay. All applicants have had acknowledgements of their applications.

Now for the hard work! All applications are being assessed next week and the SID staff will then send all the applications to the independent panel. The panel meetings will be held end of April with a provisional set for the beginning of May. The successful applicants will be informed by the beginning of May at the latest.

Thanks for all the interest and support – this is a very exciting fund which will allow many organisations to fulfil their ambitions for a wonderful community to flourish and prosper.

We will continue regular updates as The Ardbeg All Islay Fund progresses.