Grant aid for Bettyhill Village Hall improvement work

A village hall in North Sutherland is to be given a makeover following a grant award from the Caithness and North Sutherland Fund (CNSF).

Bettyhill Village Hall’s management committee has been granted £4,492 in CNSF’s first round of grants to community projects.

The funding is to be used to refurbish the hall’s toilets and improve its performance facilities.

Hall treasurer Susan Malone said: "We’re delighted to have secured this funding. It will be used for things like putting up curtains across the stage - we don’t have any at the moment. Also the gents toilets, in particular, are badly in need of improvement."

In total around £102,000 is being disbursed to community projects in the Far North, although Bettyhill Village Hall is the only organisation to benefit in Sutherland.

CNSF Fund Coordinator David Shearer said: "CNSF directors assessed applications on 3rd February and funding is to be given to eight voluntary and community groups in the Caithness and North Sutherland area for projects that help improve the attractiveness of the area as a place to live, work and invest.

He added: "The Bettyhill application is the only one to have been received from North Sutherland in this round.

"I can confirm that there are a number of enquiries from Sutherland applicants as regards our next round of applications in April."

CNSF Chairman John Henderson commented: "We were very encouraged to see a wide range of good projects coming forward to the fund and are pleased to be able to support many of these in our first round of awards.

"People in the Caithness and North Sutherland communities are working hard to improve the quality of life for all of us."

CNSF is a company setup to distribute a community benefit package provided by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as a planning condition for the low level waste facility currently being developed at Dounreay.

NDA provided £1 million at the start of construction of the new facility in early November and will give a further £300,000 each year until 2023.

Mr Shearer said: "CNSF aims to assess applications quarterly and closing dates for the assessment rounds in 2012 are 6th April, 6th July and 5thOctober.

Voluntary and community organisations in the Dounreay travel-to-work area can apply for money for projects that meet the aim of the fund and fit with NDA’s socio-economic policy.

For further information visit www.cnsf.org.uk or contact Mr Shearer on enquiries@cnsf.org.uk