£½m for Inverclyde community workshop
FUNDING of over £½m will help transform a disused Inverclyde building into a community workshop.
The Inverclyde Shed, with support from the council, has secured £505,000 to convert an empty building opposite Greenock’s East India Harbour into a hub for people to share their expertise, learn new skills and put them to good use in the wider community.
The funding, from the national Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), will allow the charity to take over the vacant light industrial unit from the local authority and create a new workshop, or ‘shed’.
Through its sheds, the organisation helps to improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing, tackle loneliness and isolation, and improve social inclusion.
Councillor Jim Clocherty, Inverclyde Council’s convener of education and communities, said: “The Inverclyde Shed do a terrific job supporting groups and individuals right across Inverclyde.
“They make a real difference to the lives of the people who are directly involved but also to those who benefit indirectly through the wonderful work they do in our communities.
“I’m really pleased the council has been able to support The Inverclyde Shed in securing funding that will not only breathe new life into an empty building but provide a wealth of opportunities for residents of all ages and abilities while helping to improve our towns and villages.”
The RCGF is delivered in partnership between the Scottish Government and council umbrella group the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla).
Bruce Newlands, founding trustee and chair of The Inverclyde Shed, said: “Our members are absolutely delighted with this news.
“The funding will help us transform this building to build on what we do and support the people of Inverclyde for the next 25 years.”
As well as the successful funding for The Inverclyde Shed, the council has also secured nearly £1.2m to complete the restoration of the B-listed King George VI building in Port Glasgow town centre by transforming it into a community hub featuring meeting rooms, office space and a café.
It will also become the new home for Clune Park Resource Centre allowing the group to relocate from their current base to make it easier for the people right across Inverclyde to access the activities they offer.
Full details of the funding announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/news/community-projects-get-gbp-25-million-funding/.
For more information about The Inverclyde Shed, including how to get involved, visit www.inverclydeshed.co.uk.