06-08-2025
Community fundraiser shortlisted for top award after raising £160k to save Kippen's village hall
Frances Carlaw has devoted 10 months to fundraising and has raised a whopping £160,000 for the refurbishment of the village hall in Kippen.
A dedicated fundraiser who helped secure the future of Kippen's village hall by raising a staggering £160,000 has been nominated for a prestigious BBC award for her efforts.
Frances Carlaw has devoted the last 10 months to fundraising, during which she raised a whopping £160,000 for the much-needed renovation of the village hall, and she's well on her way to collecting the remaining amount of the £250,000 required to finish the project.
Her relentless efforts to ensure the hall remains a central part of the community have led to her being selected as one of the finalists in the fundraiser category of the BBC's Make a Difference Scotland awards.
Frances and her husband relocated to Kippen in August 2022, after spending several years living in central France.
Now in their 70s, they decided it was the ideal location for their retirement and to be close to their children and grandchildren, whilst also becoming part of the tight-knit community.
They live in the heart of the village, with their cottage just a two-minute stroll from the village hall which Frances quickly identified as being in desperate need of a crucial makeover to ensure it continued to be the community's hub.
Raising the funds needed for such an ambitious project in a community of just 1,100 inhabitants was a colossal task to undertake, but Frances rose to the challenge and began devising plans to raise the money to upgrade and enhance the hall's facilities.
"Life here is very busy, with lots of groups and useful facilities and we wanted to become a closer part of it all," said Frances.
"The village hall had been moth-balled over the covid period with a brave and dedicated small committee determined to see it survive.
"It has been a central part of life here for over 100 years and is used by all ages from the village and surroundings. After so long a closure and a previous long period, where little had been done by way of updating the facilities, the committee asked for new members and that was our chance to see what we could do to help. We wanted to play our part in making a difference in this small community which we love."
Frances added: "It wasn't long before we had penned the business plan following a public consultation and the results were a resounding positive to keep the hall open and busy, but it needed to be refreshed and updated and all facilities to be renewed.
"I volunteered to be the fundraiser for the entire £250,000 refurbishment project.
"Thanks to initial crucial help from Stirling Council and the local Kippen Community Trust, we raised a small sum that led to larger grants and further applications until we had managed to raise over £154,000 in just ten months.
"The balancing £30,000-plus is already applied for and we're awaiting results at the end of September.
"This will complete the refurbishment of the entire building, with just the outside works to do next year and the appointment of a caretaker.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to be a finalist in the Make a Difference Awards and so proud of everyone who has been involved. I'll continue to work just as hard to attract more funding and hopefully in the next ten months we'll reach the total target to give our lovely village hall a brighter and sustainable future."
