Author: strathavenandglassfordcommunitycouncil

First Thursday  Funding is a FREE funding advice service from VASLan, designed to help voluntary and community groups improve their funding success.

Our First Thursday  Funding Advice Sessions are tailored to the needs of those attending, so if there’s a particular funding topic you’d like covered, just let us know when you book.

Topics can include:

• Identifying funding needs
• Writing a strong Case for Support
• The funding application process
• Reporting back to funders
• Finding funding opportunities
• Where to get further support
• Building long-term sustainability

Places are limited for the session on Thursday 6th August , so book early to avoid disappointment.

To book your place, contact peter.mcghee@vaslan.org.uk.

Local community energy organisation Spirit of Lanarkshire Wind Energy Coop (SOLWEC) has opened the 2025/26 round of its community grant programme. This fund supports community projects within 10 miles of the Nutberry and West Browncastle windfarms and includes your community council area. Grants of between £500 and £5,000 will be available with a total pot of around £10,000.

The SOLWEC Community fund prioritises projects which improve the energy efficiency of community buildings, including improving insulation, installation of PV panels and heat pumps and feasibility studies on energy efficiency. Funding for community groups working to help householders reduce energy use is also a priority along with other projects which reduce greenhouse gas emissions or lead to environmental improvements or greater awareness of environmental issues.

Details of how to apply for funding and an application form are available at https://www.spiritoflanarkshire.coop/community-benefit/. The closing date for applications will be 28th Feb with grants awarded in late March. 

We’re pleased to let you know that the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund is reopening for small grant applications on Monday, the 24^th of November. 

Key Information:

• You can apply for up to £10,000
• Funding must be spent within 18 months
• Applications open Monday 24th November
• Deadline: Thursday 19th December at 12 noon
• You can apply more than once, if appropriate

Please ensure your application clearly aligns with the fund’s priorities, particularly around:

• Non – Clinical Mental Health Supports
• Early intervention
• Prevention

Please note: these elements can only be used for adults. Additionally, we cannot fund any projects involving individuals under the age of 16 – please ensure your proposal is strictly for ages 16+.

To support you with the application process, we’ll be holding a webinar on Thursday, 27th at 10am and again at 2pm. These sessions will be recorded and can be seen on our website. Sign up here: 

27th November 10am – Select tickets – Reopening of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund Celebration Event – Microsoft Teams

27th November 2pm –  Select tickets – Reopening of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund Celebration Event – Microsoft Teams

The micro grant scheme remains for 2025/26 is now closed. Applications are welcomed from eligible groups. For more information go to Community Council Micro Grants.

What is involved

All you need is a project and a bank account. Check the webpage for project criteria.

Strathaven and Glassford Community Council (S&GCC, or CC) and Friends of Strathaven Castle (FoSC) have agreed to work collaboratively to ensure the long term future of Strathaven Castle.

Following a very successful meeting, which also included Historic Environment Scotland (HES), South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) and Mairi McAllan (MSP), the two parties agreed to support each other in defining the issues with the castle, identifying reasonable costs to correct these needs, raising funds from various sources and, with the support of SLC, implementing projects to address these issues.

This current phase of work relates to stabilising the structure and making it safe for public access. Strathaven and Glassford Community Council will be fully supportive of Friends of Strathaven Castle as it applies for funding and the two organisations will work closely together in defining projects and liaising with SLC on taking those forward and tendering for the required work. The two organisations will also liaise with SLC on any required survey work and engineering plans to support the required repair work

Any subsequent projects after the castle is made safe will be subject to community consultation.

Look out for details of a joint open event to provide a further update on plans and ideas early in 2026.

Strathaven and Glassford Community Council is seeking new members. As a statutory body we liaise with South Lanarkshire Council on a number of matters and we adminster local grant funding.

As an example of the types of thing we get involved with, we have been working with South Lanarkshire Council for a number of years to try to bring improvements to Strathaven Castle. We have been working to try to get surveys done and funding in place to repair the castle infrastructure to enable access by the public. Recently we were at a round table meeting with MSP Màiri McAllan, along with representatives from Friends of Strathaven Castle, Historic Environment Scotland and South Lanarkshire Council to agree a way forward to complete the restoration work and to enable a public consultation on the future of the castle.

If these types of project interest you, or you have an interest in your community and would like to help, and you have skills and experience that you think would be beneficial to the community council, please email us on strathavencommcouncil@gmail.com

September 10 2024

Over the past four months, Strathaven and Glassford Community Council, with the assistance of independent consultants Community Enterprise, has been finding out what local residents think about the future of their community. The research and engagement element of this work has now been completed, and a report has been created which is available here.

The next step is to develop a Community Action Plan and Local Place Plan in line with the recommendations in the report.

If you have any comments, suggestions or additions, or would like to know more about the process, please contact Claire Martin (claire@communityenterprise.co.uk and 07471 000427) who will be happy to discuss them with you. If you plan to do so can you please contact Claire before the end of October 2024.

Strathaven and Glassford Community Council is calling on local residents to give their views on the future of their community.

Moves are underway to create a Plan which sets out what local people think should be happening in their community over the next five years.

The exercise, led by the Community Council, will be carried out over the next few months. Residents, voluntary groups, young people, and businesses are being encouraged to share their ideas about what projects and initiatives will make a difference to the local area.

The Community Council will be co-ordinating activities and events to get feedback from local residents, and have commissioned independent consultants Community Enterprise to support this work. 

Aileen McMann, Chair of the Community Council, said,

“We know that Strathaven and Glassford are great places to live. But we think they could be even better.  We are working on a new Plan, which will help to shape the future of our community.

This is an important opportunity for people living in Strathaven and Glassford to influence the development of the area. We want to make sure the Plan represents the concerns and aspirations of people who live locally, so the more people we hear from, the better.

The issues, ideas and aspirations generated through the process will be put together into a Plan identifying projects and initiatives, as well as details of how people can work together to make them happen.”

Residents are being encouraged to spread the word and get involved. There will be a range of in person Community Conversations over the summer, so that people can share their views, and these will be advertised locally.

A community survey has been launched today, which can be completed online here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StrathGlassSurvey

Paper copies will be available from a range of locations in the area, and can be returned to Climate Action Strathaven, 5 Green St, Strathaven ML10 6LT.

The Spring Open Day for the Kype Muir Community Partnership is taking place on Saturday March 23rd from 10am until 2pm at the Hope Hub, 183a Carlisle Road, Blackwood, ML119AT.

Everyone is welcome to go along and find out more about the partnership and what support your organisation may be entitled to.

Strathaven and Glassford Community council has been working with South Lanarkshire Council for a few years now on plans to carry out repair work to the structure to make it safe for reinstating access to the castle grounds.

There have been delays caused by the pandemic and also by the need to retender for the initial phase of work due to invalid submissions. However a contractor is now in place and work is progressing.

The boundary wall repointing is now complete and the timber walkway repairs are ongoing. The walkway surface has been reinstated and we await the delivery of the handrail sections from the timber merchant to complete these works. These timbers are currently being milled to match the existing handrail profile and will thereafter get treated before delivery to site. We have been told this should hopefully be for next week and works should take 2-3 days to complete thereafter.

Fencing panels have arrived at the contractor’s yard and we are currently still on programme to commence the fencing works on 13^th November.

The specialist survey of the castle has been completed and the conservation structural engineer is finalising the specification of the necessary remedial stabilisation works based on this information. They are planning to have this issued to us before the end of November to allow tender documentation and budget costs to be prepared.

We are working with the SLC architect to agree the preferred locations for the signage foundations. This will mean we can introduce two new information boards.

We do need to remind the local community that the castle environs are currently classed as a construction site and will not be safe for public access until all works are complete and handed over. There has been evidence of unauthorised access being made and for Health & Safety reasons (eg. no handrail on walkway over river),  this should be actively discouraged.