What’s happening in the South Islay Development Office?

At last the staff are back in the office from Monday to Friday after an absence of 2 years and they are available for chats and questions.

Three members of staff are there to welcome you:

Alyson MacGillivray – Development Manager

Rosie MacLellan – Port Ellen Playing Fields Project Manager

Rose Reis – Admin & Finance Officer

Things have certainly not stood still and whilst SID wait for the outcome of the planning hearing for the permission to build the new Playing Fields Pavilion there have been many other developments.

Securing funding is the crux for any development organisation and it takes many hours of application filling, nail biting waits and sometimes rejection!

The staff have, however, managed to successfully secure the revenue funding for the above posts for the next 2 years from a variety of sources, complementing the whole community, and allowing SID to work alongside local users and groups.

This funding will, of course, run concurrently with the capital funding which has already been procured for the Playing Fields community building. SID are grateful to the Investing in Communities extension funding from Scottish Government, the David & Avril MacDonald Fund, Foundation Scotland, Elixir Distillers Ltd and the National Lottery – Community Led Fund. This revenue funding will allow a diverse range of smaller campaigns and projects to continue in the south of Islay and will secure the capacity and growth of the charity.

Loads of things are happening in the community and can now keep progressing with confidence that funding for staffing continues. This includes pulling together community feedback, building the additional outdoor activities and equipment in to the Playing Fields plan, working with volunteers to care and maintain the Playing Fields and Community Garden, events planning in the shape of Port Ellen Sports Day, the wonderfully popular Play and Stay sessions and Community Garden afternoon teas. The aim is to continue to work with other local groups to hold events like the Port Ellen Lunch Club, indoor bowling and soft play sessions in the Ramsay Hall.

SID is also building resilience in the community - providing training opportunities for volunteers, continuing the development of the South Islay Community Action Plan and, of course, managing the community owned Filling Station.

Obtaining the revenue funding is a huge success for the community and runs in parallel with the larger capital projects:

• Funding secured for an upgrade of the fuel pumps and shop interior at The Filling Station
• ‘New Pavilion’ building on the Playing Fields
• Extension of the motorhome services at The Filling Station
• Continuing the current work with Argyll & Bute Council, Sonas Childcare, Port Ellen Senior and Junior Football Clubs and Live Argyll to create a feasibility study of the Ramsay Hall. SID aims to feed back to the community early April with the results of this study.
• Part of the funding has been secured to re-roof the memorial shelter for the local groups and users to use.
• Introducing more new toddler friendly play park equipment in the relocation of the playpark

All of these projects are working closely together to ensure they complement the needs and aspirations of the community and groups who use and will use the facilities.

So that’s about it! Not that much going on. All the directors of SID are right behind all the projects in South Islay and it is a great testament to the hard work of the SID staff that the funding for these projects has been secured for the south of Islay.