Finderne Development Trust awarded £11,000 to help community
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A LOCAL charity is using funding from the Scottish Government to help a rural community during the coronavirus lockdown.
Finderne Development Trust (FDT) has been granted £11,000 from the Supporting Communities Fund, administered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, one of more than 250 organisations throughout the country to receive a share of an initial £20m investment.
FDT development manager, Pery Zakeri, confirmed the group has already been helping to co-ordinate essential support from volunteers for the Finderne community.
She said: "Through this funding, we will extend our response by providing workbooks for all local primary school aged children, reimbursing the inspirational volunteers who are providing a great service to their community and provide weekly food parcels to those who need them most.
"Finderne has more older households than the Scottish average and a fragile rural economy that will be heavily impacted by a loss of earnings. The Supporting Community Fund will ensure that we can help to bring Finderne through the crisis and come out the other end as a stronger community."
FDT was formed in 2018 to drive sustainable rural regeneration of the area, helping to make it socially attractive and economically possible for people of all ages to live and make their livelihoods in the area for the long term.
FDT chairman, Chris Piper, said: "Whilst Covid-19 has changed life as we know it, we are still working to develop our priority projects which include a partnership project with the Dava Way Association to develop the route as one of Finderne’s key recreational assets, bringing fast broadband to the region and developing a community hub."
