Supporting Communities Fund 2025/2026
Argyll and Bute Council · 9 September 2025
Back to Helensburgh & Lomond Area Committee — 9 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL HELENSBURGH & LOMOND AREA COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNIT 09 SEPTEMBER 2025 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND 2025/26 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to decide on the allocation of the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) for Helensburgh and Lomond. 1.2 The total Supporting Communities Fund budget made available by the Council for allocation in Helensburgh and Lomond for distribution in 2025/26 is £22,500. Community groups were able to apply for funds of up to £1,500 per project. 1.3 It is recommended that 20 applicants are awarded funding. 1.4 Applicants awarded funds from the Council’s SCF have 18 months in which to spend the funds.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL HELENSBURGH & LOMOND AREA COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNIT 09 SEPTEMBER 2025 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND 2025/26 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 The report details recommendations for the award of the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund (SCF). The Supporting Communities Fund budget made available by Council in Helensburgh and Lomond for 2025/26 is £22,500. 2.2 Organisations applying to the fund were able to request up to £1,500. The SCF is popular and this year has attracted 22 applications from the Helensburgh and Lomond area, requesting a total of over £25,000. 2.3 Applications have been scored by the Council’s Community Development Team against criteria set out in the SCF Application Guidance available on the councils webpages. Projects are scored by officers, based on a scoring matrix which can be found here. The fund is oversubscribed each year and funds are distributed based on scores, with partial funding being awarded, where insufficient funding remains to fully fund, and no award when no further funding is available. 2.4 A summary of all applications is appended to this report. 20 are recommended to be funded, including one partial award. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Members are asked to agree that the 20 applications, marked as ‘Award’ within Appendix 1 are awarded funding from the Supporting Communities Fund totalling £22,500. Detailed information about these projects is contained within Appendix 2.
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4.0 DETAIL 4.1 Changes to the SCF in 2025/26 include an online application form and a reduced maximum award per project. These were implemented following a review after last year’s round of SCF, which included feedback from community groups, officers, and comments from area committees. 4.2 The SCF is assessed through a robust process which involves Community Development Team contact with the applicant to verify any information where required. All applicants need to provide satisfactory essential information on governance and finance to be eligible. Scoring is based on a set of criteria outlined in the guidance and made available on the council’s website: SCF Application Guidance. Applications to the fund must be for projects that come under one or more of these categories: • Fairer Communities – tackling poverty by sharing opportunities. • Resilient Communities – community capacity building/rebuilding and repairing from a pandemic • Greener, Cleaner Communities – environmental action to support addressing climate change • Creative Communities – creativity for health and wellbeing 4.3 Of the 22 applications received None were withdrawn or ineligible. 11 are new applicants to the fund within the last 2 years. 4.4 Of the eligible applications to the SCF, 20 are recommended to be awarded funding. The applications recommended for funding are labelled as ‘Award’ in the recommendation column in Appendix 1. The detail of the projects is in Appendix 2. 4.5 The projects recommended will deliver a range of activities from sessional hours to support children’s development, including children with special educational needs, to community meals, woodland restoration, litter picks, halls, Highland games, music and gaelic. 4.6 Unsuccessful applications are marked as ‘No award’ in Appendix 1. These applicants will be offered support from the Community Development Team and provided with information on alternative sources of funding. 4.7 This year the total of £22,500 available for allocation is comprised of: • £22,500 from the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund. • There were no returns from any previously funded projects. 4.8 Projects awarded funding complete a report at the end to evidence the impact of the funded project. The results of this are brought to Area Committee in Summer 2027 if not before depending on project duration.
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5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 The Supporting Communities Fund application and assessment process has been completed as set out within the SCF Application Guidance 5.2 The recommendations made fully allocate the funding available for financial year 2025/26. 5.3 The 20 projects being put forward for an award will help communities to deliver priority activities in their area in 2025/26. 5.4 All applicants to the fund are supported throughout the process and beyond by the Community Development Team. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy - none 6.2 Financial: Recommendations in the report are limited to the budget allocation available in 2024/25 for the Supporting Communities Fund in Helensburgh and Lomond. 6.3 Legal: Applications are initially assessed to ensure that groups are constituted with managed accounts. 6.4 HR - none 6.5 Customer Service 6.6 Risk: risk to the public pound is managed through the assessment and scoring, and through end of project monitoring process. 6.7 Climate Change 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty: The Supporting Communities Fund supports community groups in tackling poverty, reducing inequality and building a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. 6.9 Equalities - protected characteristics: Applicants are given the options of receiving the application in large print and other languages and support with online applications. 6.10 Consumer Duty 6.11 Island Communities: None of the applicant projects are island based. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing
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Pippa Milne Chief Executive Policy Lead Cllr Mark Irvine 28 July 2025 For further information contact: Antonia Baird - Community Development Officer Tel. 01631 604270 Email. Antonia.baird@argyll-bute.gov.uk Suzanne Mason - Engagement and Communities Lead Tel. 01436 658933 Email. suzanne.mason@argyll-bute.gov.uk APPENDICES Appendix 1 – Assessment Score and Recommendations Appendix 2 – Project
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Appendix 1 – Assessment Recommendations Ref Applicant Recommendation Amount Requested Recommended Award 2024/25 Cumulative Total 1 Fun First Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £1,500.00 2 Helensburgh Community Hub Award £ 1,100.00 £ 1,100.00 £2,600.00 3 Garelochhead Support Trust Award £ 1,200.00 £ 1,200.00 £3,800.00 4 Parents For Change Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £5,300.00 5 Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £6,800.00 6 Rhu and Shandon Community Trust Award £ 1,477.00 £ 1,477.00 £8,277.00 7 Princess Louise Hall Award £ 445.00 £ 445.00 £8,722.00 8 Helensburgh Music Society Award £ 1,200.00 £ 1,200.00 £9,922.00 9 Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £11,422.00 10 COVE & KILCREGGAN YOUTH CAFE Award £ 1,480.00 £ 1,480.00 £12,902.00 11 Arrochar Gaelic Language and Culture Society Award £ 700.00 £ 700.00 £13,602.00 12 Friends of Hermitage Park Association Award £ 500.00 £ 500.00 £14,102.00 13 Sounds Good Community Singing Group Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £15,602.00 14 The Helensburgh Lunch Club Award £ 964.00 £ 964.00 £16,566.00 15 Cove & Kilcreggan 10k Run/Walk and Fun Run Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £18,066.00 16 Kirkmichael Community Development Group Award £ 410.00 £ 410.00 £18,476.00 17 Geilston Hall Management Committee Award £ 1,500.00 £ 1,500.00 £19,976.00 18 Cove and Kilcreggan Community Council Award £ 495.00 £ 495.00 £20,471.00 19 Garelochhead Bowling Club Award £ 1,400.00 £ 1,400.00 £21,871.00 20 Garelochhead Residents Association Partial Award £ 1,480.00 £ 629.00 £22,500.00 21 Stopgap Community Cinema CIC No award £ 1,500.00 £ - £22,500.00 22 Helensburgh Art Club No award £ 500.00 £ - £22,500.00 TOTAL £ 25,351.00 £ 22,500.00
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Appendix 2 – Project Summary Sheet Applications presented in order of scoring by Community Development Officer. For submission to Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee for final decision (maximum value £1,500). Ref: 1 Applicant: Fun First Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary: Funding is requested for 2 play leaders for 2 hours/week for 37 weeks to deliver their Toddler Outdoor learning sessions in Hermitage Park in 2025-26. Fun First provides a valuable service to the community, both for young children's development through play and joyful learning, but also for their carers by reducing social isolation, and removing financial barriers to ensure inclusion for all. Recommendation: Award Ref: 2 Applicant: Helensburgh Community Hub Recommended Award: £1,100 Project Summary: 5 x Reading Minds sessions at £200 each for next year’s event that builds on the success of previous Reading Minds Book Festivals by including Jean's Bothy as host of some social and creative literary events to add further value and inclusion. Recommendation: Award Ref: 3 Applicant: Garelochhead Support Trust Recommended Award: £1,200 Project Summary: Funding for the full cost of delivering 3 special brunches for 60-70 older people, including transport. These hearty brunches are sourced from local shops and relieve social isolation and improve health and wellbeing. The group have regular guests from service providers to promote health and independence. Recommendation: Award Ref: 4 Applicant: Parents For Change Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary: Venue hire and sessional workers to provide and support delivery of structured activities to children with special needs. This will improve confidence and social skills in vulnerable children who often feel lonely and excluded. It will also offer a little much-needed respite to parents. Recommendation: Award Ref: 5 Applicant: Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary:
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Funding for 2 litter picks in Argyll and Bute to take place on 10th September 2025 and September 2026 from Tarbet to Arden. Litter is a major issue along the busy A82 corridor and this is a priority issue to be addressed, supporting improved appearance for visitors and businesses, improved amenity for visitors and residents and decreased danger to wildlife from hazardous waste. Recommendation: Award Ref: 6 Applicant: Rhu and Shandon Community Trust Recommended Award: £1,477 Project Summary: Funding for the purchase of small hand tools and safety equipment to enable broad participation in the restoration of the newly acquired Ardconnel Wood. This will result in the clearance of invasive species and the improvement of biodiversity, the improvement of access to the woodland as an amenity and the potential to manage local flooding issues. Recommendation: Award Ref: 7 Applicant: Princess Louise Hall Recommended Award: £445 Project Summary: a contribution is requested to deliver the engagement strategy of the Princess Louise Hall while they are closed and fund-raising for repair and re-opening. This will include newsletters and website upgrade and will result in maintaining support for the hall, potentially bringing in some new volunteers. Recommendation: Award Ref: 8 Applicant: Helensburgh Music Society Recommended Award: £1,200 Project Summary: A contribution towards 5 classical music concerts in Helensburgh, including venue hire, musician's fees, piano tuning and marketing in order to maintain the high standard and much enjoyed annual concert programme that contributes to the experience of living in Helensburgh. It also supports confidence in performing and composing as well as inspiring some to take up musical training. Recommendation: Award Ref: 9 Applicant: Helensburgh and Lomond Highland Games Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary: A contribution towards the running costs of the Games of 6th June 2026 for a Games which improves community spirit, provides athletic opportunities and celebrates Highland culture, sport and dance. 127 children participated in dance competitions this year. Recommendation: Award Ref: 10 Applicant: Cove and Kilcreggan Youth Café
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Recommended Award: £1,480 Project Summary: Funding to send 30 children out on the water for a day, with full equipment, trained instructors and lunch as well as £500 towards their Youth Worker for 2 months. The Council would be investing in young people's development and also in the children's relationship with their natural surroundings. Recommendation: Award Ref: 11 Applicant: Arrochar Gaelic Language and Culture Society Recommended Award: £700 Project Summary: A contribution towards two blocks of gaelic language classes to ensure that those who can't afford the course fees are not excluded. The classes are intergenerational and give local musicians more confidence in performing as well as increasing use of the Gaelic language. Recommendation: Award Ref: 12 Applicant: Friends of Hermitage Park Association Recommended Award: £500 Project Summary: A branded gazebo will allow Trustees and volunteers to spend more time in the park, increase opportunities for partnership working and mitigate against the loss of the community room. They aim to welcome a more diverse population into the Park with this resource. Recommendation: Award Ref: 13 Applicant: Sounds Good Community Singing Group Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary: Funding to support this inclusive choir, including their Amateur Choir License, guest choral leader fees, insurance, venue and marketing costs. This choir has no membership fee and admits all for a donation, and is stimulating new friendships, improving confidence and increasing health and wellbeing through their use of voice, breath and posture. Recommendation: Award Ref: 14 Applicant: The Helensburgh Lunch Club Recommended Award: £964 Project Summary: Funding for 6 Food Hygiene courses for volunteers and a contribution towards replacement cutlery and crockery. The face-to-face training will be nicer for volunteers and continue to support their valuable work both in the kitchen and supporting their attendees who can come 3 days a week for a hot meal. Recommendation: Award Ref: 15
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Applicant: Cove & Kilcreggan 10k Run/Walk and Fun Run Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary: A contribution towards the overheads for this enjoyable and inclusive sporting event, which includes traffic management, first aid and hats and medals for the entrants. The event expects to attract around 200 entrants and over 30 volunteers and has contributed to increasing local fitness, health and wellbeing. Recommendation: Award Ref: 16 Applicant: Kirkmichael Community Development Group Recommended Award: Project Summary: Funding for the means to remove a dangerous and derelict structure on the football pitch at Kirkmichael. This small first step will lift morale in the area and boost ambition. Recommendation: Award Ref: 17 Applicant: Geilston Hall Management Committee Recommended Award: £1,500 Project Summary: A contribution towards the costs of a Quantity Surveyor being the first step in the process of repairing the roof of their 19th century listed hall. The roof is leaking and causing a decrease in income as parts of the building cannot always be let, which is a disappointment to the many groups and parts of the community they serve. Recommendation: Award Ref: 18 Applicant: Cove and Kilcreggan Community Council Recommended Award: £495 Project Summary: A new bench in a more accessible location will open up opportunities for intergenerational mingling, may support the shop and encourage more people to spend time outdoors. Recommendation: Award Ref: 19 Applicant: Garelochhead Bowling Club Recommended Award: £1,400 Project Summary: This active and welcoming club offers sporting and social opportunities for all ages. They are looking for a contribution towards their annual maintenance schedule which includes making their lighting cheaper and more carbon-neutral, regular and necessary servicing of machinery and a set of bowls to encourage new players to join. Recommendation: Award
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Ref: 20 Applicant: Garelochhead Residents Association Recommended Award: £629 Project Summary: Requesting £1,200 towards fencing and seating at the Isabella Campbell Memorial site just above the village and £280 for the Association's Public Liability Insurance. By upgrading the site more residents and visitors will be able to engage with its history and they will benefit from the lovely views. This partial award will assist with the insurance cost, enabling both this project and the annual beach clean. Recommendation: Partial Award Ref: 21 Applicant: Stopgap Community Cinema CIC Recommended Award:0 Project Summary: Funding to pay for 10 free cinema screenings, to include venue hire and film licence. They offer free screenings for local charities and curated screenings for people who might feel it difficult to attend a mainstream screening. They offer volunteering opportunities too. Recommendation: No Award Ref: 22 Applicant: Helensburgh Art Club Recommended Award: 0 Project Summary: Some easels, stands and notices for Art Club members to display their work in local shop windows. This improves the town centre appearance and provides new outlets for members' work. Recommendation: No Award