Latest news with #ClareStewart
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Inside look at West Lothian heritage centre project as work continues
The transformation of a historic West Calder Co-op bakery into a new national heritage centre will eventually create jobs and new training opportunities in the village. A project that celebrates West Lothian heritage and provides a community hub for the future has been praised by a local councillor. The transformation of a historic West Calder Co-op bakery into a new national heritage centre will eventually create jobs and new training opportunities in the village. The rebirth of the iconic building is testament to the work of the local development trust which has raised £6m to drive the community project, Councillor Susan Manion who heads the Economy Community Empowerment and Wealth Building PDSP visited the Co-op site this week with the council's Community Wealth Building manager Clare Stewart to see the progress. West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust (WCHCDT) led project aims to transform the derelict former Co-operative Bakery in West Calder into a hub for local economic development, local community cohesion, resilience, celebration, place making and community wealth building. The completed centre will be home to a heritage attraction and interactive exhibition on the Co-operative movement in Scotland, as well as spaces for community, training and well-being services, creating 22 new jobs and 150 annual training opportunities targeted at the most disadvantaged. West Lothian Council have supported the efforts of the WCHCDT helping them with funding applications as well as continued input from the Museums service to ensure the historic element of the local co-operative movement is full captured including borrowing collections for display in the new centre. To date funding has been secured to enable the capital and construction phase of the project from the Place Based Investment Funding, Regeneration Capital grant funding from Scottish Government, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, UK Government Community Ownership Fund and a range of smaller trusts and charities. This is underpinned by local windfarm community benefits and a local community share scheme. With construction now reaching the half-way milestone, the project team invited partners to get a glimpse of progress being made. West Lothian Council Executive Councillor for Economy, Community Empowerment & Wealth Building, Susan Manion joined West Lothian Council Community Wealth Building Manager Clare Stewart on a tour of the site. Councillor Manion said: 'The project builds on a proud local history to create a new national attraction with local roots. The area's Co-operative heritage will be a catalyst for improving community well-being, inclusion and opportunity locally and celebrating and sharing the history and future potential of the Co-operative model. 'It's exciting to see it all taking shape and I'm sure the tremendous efforts of WCHCDT and partners will be rewarded with a fantastic venue and destination that will be enjoyed by many.' Trust Manager Matt Pearce said 'We are delighted to be able to show progress to date. We are well on the way to delivering our vision. The support we have received from West Lothian Council has been and continues to be critical to the project's success. We are now focussed on delivering the exciting exhibition element.' Matt added: 'Key to the Trust is that we, a small community charity have managed to raise nearly £6m towards a truly community led regeneration project based around a locally important heritage. 'We have been very pleased to receive such support from WLC and Scottish Government along with key funders National Lottery Heritage Fund and are now focussed on securing the last elements of funding required to complete the final stages and to make it the best it can be. 'This will be good for our village, good for West Lothian and good for Scotland.' For more on the Scottish Co-operative Discovery Centre follow the project Facebook page
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Revitalised building branded fantastic example of community empowerment
A project that celebrates West Lothian heritage and provides a community hub for the future has been praised by a local councillor. The transformation of a historic West Calder Co-op bakery into a new national heritage centre will eventually create jobs and new training opportunities in the village. The rebirth of the iconic building is testament to the work of the local development trust which has raised £6m to drive the community project. The scaffolding clad bakery is undergoing full restoration to re-open as the Scottish Co-op Heritage and Discovery Centre. Copyright West Lothian Council. West Lothian Council Executive Councillor for Economy, Community Empowerment & Wealth Building, Susan Manion joined West Lothian Council Community Wealth Building Manager Councillor Susan Manion who heads the Economy Community Empowerment and Wealth Building PDSP visited the Co-op site this week with the council's Community Wealth Building manager Clare Stewart to see the progress. West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust (WCHCDT) led project aims to transform the derelict former Co-operative Bakery in West Calder into a hub for local economic development, local community cohesion, resilience, celebration, place making and community wealth building. The completed centre will be home to a heritage attraction and interactive exhibition on the Co-operative movement in Scotland, as well as spaces for community, training and well-being services, creating 22 new jobs and 150 annual training opportunities targeted at the most disadvantaged. West Lothian Council have supported the efforts of the WCHCDT helping them with funding applications as well as continued input from the Museums service to ensure the historic element of the local co-operative movement is full captured including borrowing collections for display in the new centre. To date funding has been secured to enable the capital and construction phase of the project from the Place Based Investment Funding, Regeneration Capital grant funding from Scottish Government, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, UK Government Community Ownership Fund and a range of smaller trusts and charities. This is underpinned by local windfarm community benefits and a local community share scheme. With construction now reaching the half-way milestone, the project team invited partners to get a glimpse of progress being made. West Lothian Council Executive Councillor for Economy, Community Empowerment & Wealth Building, Susan Manion joined West Lothian Council Community Wealth Building Manager Clare Stewart on a tour of the site. Councillor Manion said: 'The project builds on a proud local history to create a new national attraction with local roots. The area's Co-operative heritage will be a catalyst for improving community well-being, inclusion and opportunity locally and celebrating and sharing the history and future potential of the Co-operative model. 'It's exciting to see it all taking shape and I'm sure the tremendous efforts of WCHCDT and partners will be rewarded with a fantastic venue and destination that will be enjoyed by many.' Trust Manager Matt Pearce said 'We are delighted to be able to show progress to date. We are well on the way to delivering our vision. The support we have received from West Lothian Council has been and continues to be critical to the project's success. We are now focussed on delivering the exciting exhibition element.' Matt added: 'Key to the Trust is that we, a small community charity have managed to raise nearly £6m towards a truly community led regeneration project based around a locally important heritage. 'We have been very pleased to receive such support from WLC and Scottish Government along with key funders National Lottery Heritage Fund and are now focussed on securing the last elements of funding required to complete the final stages and to make it the best it can be. 'This will be good for our village, good for West Lothian and good for Scotland.' By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
Inside look at West Lothian heritage centre project as work continues
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A project that celebrates West Lothian heritage and provides a community hub for the future has been praised by a local councillor. The transformation of a historic West Calder Co-op bakery into a new national heritage centre will eventually create jobs and new training opportunities in the village. The rebirth of the iconic building is testament to the work of the local development trust which has raised £6m to drive the community project. Councillor Susan Manion who heads the Economy Community Empowerment and Wealth Building PDSP visited the Co-op site this week with the council's Community Wealth Building manager Clare Stewart to see the progress. West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust (WCHCDT) led project aims to transform the derelict former Co-operative Bakery in West Calder into a hub for local economic development, local community cohesion, resilience, celebration, place making and community wealth building. The completed centre will be home to a heritage attraction and interactive exhibition on the Co-operative movement in Scotland, as well as spaces for community, training and well-being services, creating 22 new jobs and 150 annual training opportunities targeted at the most disadvantaged. (Image: West Lothian Council) West Lothian Council have supported the efforts of the WCHCDT helping them with funding applications as well as continued input from the Museums service to ensure the historic element of the local co-operative movement is full captured including borrowing collections for display in the new centre. To date funding has been secured to enable the capital and construction phase of the project from the Place Based Investment Funding, Regeneration Capital grant funding from Scottish Government, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, UK Government Community Ownership Fund and a range of smaller trusts and charities. This is underpinned by local windfarm community benefits and a local community share scheme. With construction now reaching the half-way milestone, the project team invited partners to get a glimpse of progress being made. West Lothian Council Executive Councillor for Economy, Community Empowerment & Wealth Building, Susan Manion joined West Lothian Council Community Wealth Building Manager Clare Stewart on a tour of the site. Councillor Manion said: 'The project builds on a proud local history to create a new national attraction with local roots. The area's Co-operative heritage will be a catalyst for improving community well-being, inclusion and opportunity locally and celebrating and sharing the history and future potential of the Co-operative model. "It's exciting to see it all taking shape and I'm sure the tremendous efforts of WCHCDT and partners will be rewarded with a fantastic venue and destination that will be enjoyed by many.' Trust Manager Matt Pearce said 'We are delighted to be able to show progress to date. We are well on the way to delivering our vision. The support we have received from West Lothian Council has been and continues to be critical to the project's success. We are now focussed on delivering the exciting exhibition element.' Matt added: "Key to the Trust is that we, a small community charity have managed to raise nearly £6m towards a truly community led regeneration project based around a locally important heritage. 'We have been very pleased to receive such support from WLC and Scottish Government along with key funders National Lottery Heritage Fund and are now focussed on securing the last elements of funding required to complete the final stages and to make it the best it can be. 'This will be good for our village, good for West Lothian and good for Scotland.' For more on the Scottish Co-operative Discovery Centre follow the project Facebook page
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Bids from voluntary groups seeking help from West Lothian Council topped more than £1m
Bids from voluntary groups seeking help from West Lothian Council topped more than £1m - three times the £372,000 the council had to give - councillors heard. Out of 34 charity groups which bid, only 15 were awarded funding. And with more than half the Third Sector services total budget of £944,000 going to just five organisations there have been calls from the local Voluntary Sector Gateway for the budget to grow to meet rising demand. The bulk of the budget funds direct services for the council. The council's Economy, Community Empowerment and Wealth Building PDSP heard that five organisations have been awarded Service Level Agreements to deliver services. These are West Lothian Youth Action Project £190,000 for community youth services; HcL Transport £182,119 for community transport; Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian £63,770; Citizen's Advice Bureau £76,266 to provide additional advice services across West Lothian; and the Bennie Museum £51,142 for the provision of Museum Services in Linlithgow and Bathgate Linlithgow Heritage Trust. In the Third Sector Support Fund 19 organisations lost out this year. They had bid for £501,312 of funding. Among the organisations which lost out are Fauldhouse Community Development Trust, the Food Train, KidzEco, West Calder Hub, West Lothian Race Forum and Smile In a report to committee Clare Stewart, the Community Wealth Building Manager said: 'In total 34 applications were received totalling £1,003,449.97 with an available budget at the time of £362,613. 'An additional £10,000 was allocated as part of the process for funding that is available to West Lothian Council from the Lintel Trust to support a community project. This brought the total available to £372,613.' Among the winners were: Linlithgow Young People's Project, £36, 052; The Vennie, £33,157; Boghalll Drop in £37,043; Stoneyburn Future Vision Group £20, 600 and Armadale Playworks £35,272. All applications were assessed by a panel composed of representatives from the NHS, Voluntary Sector Gateway, and a range of council services including Anti-Poverty, Community Regeneration and Community Wealth Building. Following the assessment of all applications, the panel made recommendations to the Head of Planning, Economic Development and Regeneration that the £362,613 be allocated to 15 organisations. All 19 groups which did not receive funding this year have been offered guidance for future applications. The report added: 'The panel took into consideration a number of matters in assessing all applications including the quality of the application against the criteria for funding, the provision of support in the areas of identified deprivation, match funding, the outcomes that would be achieved by the investment and the potential for some projects to source funding through other funds, in particular the availability of local mental health funding. 'Officers contacted all unsuccessful applicants and offered a series of dates to give more detailed feedback on their application on a one to one basis either in person or via teams. To date eight organisations have requested feedback.' Stuart Barrie, the Operations Manager with the VSG, welcomed the feedback offered to the groups, saying it was helpful to organisations in seeking funding in future from both from the council, and other sources. And making a plea for growing support for the VSG Mr Barrie said: 'The continued financial support from the council the Third Sector is welcome and makes a huge difference to organisations and to communities in West Lothian. 'However the overall £944,000 has remained static for a number of years now. "The sector is facing significant financial pressures like everyone else and given the council receives an uplift to its annual budget could an uplift to this funding be considered in the future for the Third Sector?' Councillor Susan Manion, chairing the PDSP, said: 'We can happily have a discussion about that in relation to the financial position in what we do going forward and looking a future budgeting arrangements for the next year.' Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here .
Edinburgh Reporter
24-04-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
West Lothian voluntary sector seeks more than £1m funding
Bids from voluntary groups seeking help from West Lothian Council topped more than £1m – three times the £372,000 the council had to give – councillors heard. Out of 34 charity groups which bid, only 15 were awarded funding. And with more than half the Third Sector services total budget of £944,000 going to just five organisations there have been calls from the local Voluntary Sector Gateway for the budget to grow to meet rising demand. The bulk of the budget funds direct services for the council. The council's Economy, Community Empowerment and Wealth Building PDSP heard that five organisations have been awarded Service Level Agreements to deliver services. These are West Lothian Youth Action Project £190,000 for community youth services; HcL Transport £182,119 for community transport; Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian £63,770; Citizen's Advice Bureau £76,266 to provide additional advice services across West Lothian; and the Bennie Museum £51,142 for the provision of Museum Services in Linlithgow and Bathgate Linlithgow Heritage Trust. In the Third Sector Support Fund 19 organisations lost out this year. They had bid for £501,312 of funding. Among the organisations which lost out are Fauldhouse Community Development Trust, the Food Train, KidzEco, West Calder Hub, West Lothian Race Forum and Smile In a report to committee Clare Stewart, the Community Wealth Building Manager said: 'In total 34 applications were received totalling £1,003,449.97 with an available budget at the time of £362,613. 'An additional £10,000 was allocated as part of the process for funding that is available to West Lothian Council from the Lintel Trust to support a community project. This brought the total available to £372,613.' Among the winners were: Linlithgow Young People's Project, £36, 052; The Vennie, £33,157; Boghalll Drop in £37,043; Stoneyburn Future Vision Group £20, 600 and Armadale Playworks £35,272. All applications were assessed by a panel composed of representatives from the NHS, Voluntary Sector Gateway, and a range of council services including Anti-Poverty, Community Regeneration and Community Wealth Building. Following the assessment of all applications, the panel made recommendations to the Head of Planning, Economic Development and Regeneration that the £362,613 be allocated to 15 organisations. All 19 groups which did not receive funding this year have been offered guidance for future applications. The report added: 'The panel took into consideration a number of matters in assessing all applications including the quality of the application against the criteria for funding, the provision of support in the areas of identified deprivation, match funding, the outcomes that would be achieved by the investment and the potential for some projects to source funding through other funds, in particular the availability of local mental health funding. 'Officers contacted all unsuccessful applicants and offered a series of dates to give more detailed feedback on their application on a one-to-one basis either in person or via teams. To date eight organisations have requested feedback.' Stuart Barrie, the Operations Manager with the VSG, welcomed the feedback offered to the groups, saying it was helpful to organisations in seeking funding in future from both from the council, and other sources. And making a plea for growing support for the VSG Mr Barrie said: 'The continued financial support from the council the Third Sector is welcome and makes a huge difference to organisations and to communities in West Lothian 'However, the overall £944,000 has remained static for a number of years now. The sector is facing significant financial pressures like everyone else and given the council receives an uplift to its annual budget could an uplift to this funding be considered in the future for the Third Sector?' Councillor Susan Manion, chairing the PDSP, said: 'We can happily have a discussion about that in relation to the financial position in what we do going forward and looking a future budgeting arrangements for the next year.' By Stuart Sommerville Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
