In the fund's second year of bids, The Ardbeg All Islay Fund Panel were very pleased to have received 31 submissions from all over Islay. Charitable organisations applied for funding towards projects that included intergenerational events, sporting activities, staff revenue posts supporting the local community and capital purchases.
The SID team were pleased to offer any support and guidance to the groups during the submission period this year. This proved to be a very useful resource for many of the local groups. The total request for funding in year one was over £390k, with the panel having the hard task of funding £180k each year. This was not a task taken lightly, and each panel member handled it diligently and professionally. All applicants were notified at the beginning of May of their outcome.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the panel members very much for their valuable dedication to volunteering to be on the panel. Their passionate response has enabled the SID team to progress efficiently through the second year of the fund.
The Ardbeg All Islay Fund is pleased to award 22 local charities the funding necessary to grow or continue their excellent community work in the coming months.
A few are highlighted here and the full list of awards will also be published on the South Islay Development website. (www.southislay.co.uk)
Bowmore Community Association – We are hoping that with this funding we will be able to purchase a stock of reusable resources that we can use for our community events throughout the year and annually, to enable us to continue to fundraise and put on events throughout the year.
Fèis Òigridh Ìle agus Dhiùra - Is a 30-year-old charity offering Traditional Music & Gaelic Culture to the children of Islay & Jura. This is carried out via weekly music lessons in accordion, whistle and fiddle, and an annual Main Feis encouraging more children to engage in our rich heritage. We would like to continue with our ever-growing popular weekly lessons while offering an additional instrument – keyboard/piano lessons. We would also like to continue and improve our Main Feis taking place in February 2025 to include a section specific to local teenagers to allow them to further their skills and knowledge through professional tuition.
The Rhinns Playing Fields – We are seeking funding to purchase and install a modular pump track on our community-owned field which is situated in Portnahaven, on the Rhinns of Islay – making it the first of its kind on Islay (and in Argyll and Bute). This is part of our ambition to create an inclusive community recreational facility for the whole Islay community to enjoy.
Pat McGrann, Chair at SID said, “Year 2 of the Ardbeg All Islay Fund proves there are plenty of initiatives and inventiveness across Islay. The grants maintain well-established activities as well as new ventures to support the active lives and well-being of our community. This year’s adjudicating panel has been impressed with the quality of the successful bids. Long may it last.”
Hamish Torrie, CSR Communications Director at The Glenmorangie Company said, ‘It was great to see so many projects come forward for consideration in Year 2 of the Ardbeg All Islay Fund, covering the length and breadth of Islay.’
The Ardbeg All Islay Fund encourages all applicants to reapply next year, and applicants are invited to work with Alyson MacGillivray SID Development Manager, to receive feedback to strengthen their application for year three. A programme of workshops will be considered in the autumn ready for the fund reopening in January 2025.
