The phone box and bus shelter at Logie Primary’s gate had fallen into disrepair and were an eyesore. The funding from the Berry Burn Community Fund allowed the school to refurbish both, improving their appearance and making them usable again. The phone box, lit by solar power, will become an art gallery for the children’s work. The bus shelter is now once again a meeting place and focal point for parents gathering at the school gate.  The school is proud and pleased to have been able to restore two points of Dunphail local heritage for the community it serves.

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I am absolutely delighted to have opened the newly renovated Fiona’s Wholefoods and Refills in the YM Community Centre in Grantown-on-Spey in September. I am passionate about enabling local people and visitors to access a wide selection of eco-friendly and ethical product with zero or reduced packaging within the town and local area. Moreover, I am pleased to have created two job opportunities and look forward to increasing employment. I now move onto phase two of my plans which are both community and Business-to-Business focussed.

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With funding support from the Berry Burn Community Fund, Grantown Museum was able to undertake learning and research that uncovered new stories and deepened the community’s understanding of our rich heritage.

 We shared this in a meaningful and effective way.  Two, high quality exhibitions about Strathspey history with associated publications were created at a time when giving a cultural experience to our community was crucial in enhancing people’s wellbeing.

 We produced a series of podcasts that will enable people to continue to engage with aspects of Strathspey heritage in the future.

With support of the BBCF, the Friends of Blairs Loch (SCIO) have created a wonderful venue in a woodland, loch side, setting that can be used by schools and special interest groups for educational, recreational and well-being activities. Just a few miles south of Forres, on the Altyre Estate, the Boathouse, Bothy & Stable facility is an important new addition to the paths, bird hides and picnic areas at Loch of Blairs that are popular with the local community.

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BBCF awarded Craigellachie Village Council with a grant which allowed them to purchase and erect new tennis nets for the tennis courts in Craigellachie, meaning tennis could continue to be played on the courts.

We are very grateful for the Berry Burn grant to appoint two part time staff to manage the Savings and Loans Co-op.  Recruiting, training and supporting new volunteers was needed to replace those that had retired at the onset of the ‘lockdown’ in March 2020.  Marketing, telling and finance small teams have now been set up.  The Virtual online system was required and with the introduction of our card payment and Equifax credit scoring facility this resulted in greater efficiency and confidence in our lending.  This has also been a beneficial way of supporting members to better manage their money.

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Work on an ambitious project to improve disabled facilities for the community, as well as providing increased storage capacity, recently started at Craigellachie Village Hall.  The new extension will allow not only existing and new groups to meet, but will also allow the village hall to be used by more than one user group at the same time.  The increased floor area and space will benefit many more people within our community and also provide for a more inclusive experience for disabled people and those with mobility issues.

The Berry Burn Community Fund award was instrumental in enabling us to progress stage two of our three stage Access for All Project. We now have disabled access and modern toilet and baby changing facilities in our church building and have completed some much-needed repair work to the integral hall. Without the support and patience of the BBCF trustees and administrator we would have struggled to reach our fundraising target and complete the work. The facilities we now have mean that all users of the building can feel comfortable and confident that their needs will be catered for.

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Forres Pre Kickers is a toddler football class run on Saturday mornings. We have two classes of 15 currently, with a waiting list in operation. The funding from Berry Burn has allowed us to expand our exercises and make use of different types of equipment on a week to week basis. The classes are aimed at being fun, building confidence in group situations, and introducing the basics of football.

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Forres Skate Park Initiative (FSPI) with the funding from Berry Burn has been able to move this project to the next level with a complete Feasibility and Option Appraisal. Having this report will help with future funding as the costs are around £250,000 to build the park.