Projects battle for your vote in localities bid funding second round

A public vote will open on Thursday, May 16, and will remain open until Thursday, June 6.

Applications from projects across the region were received between January and February this year, and a total of 74 bids met the criteria to move to the voting stage.

Councillor Sandy Aitchison, executive member for neighbourhoods and locality services, said: “We have strengthened the voting process after listening to feedback from the previous round of Localities Bid Fund.

“We’d therefore ask people to make sure they register to vote, which will only take a couple of minutes online. You’ll then get an allocation of votes to spread across the projects in your locality.

“You can register to vote from now right up until the last day of the voting period.

“This is a great opportunity to directly influence where public money is being spent in your town or village so make sure you have your say.”

Anyone who would like to vote online can register beforehand, through the council’s website. Online votes can then be cast from May 16.

You will have a mandatory number of votes to cast, which will depend on the number of projects vying for money in your area.

All votes will be verified and your postcode will determine which area you can vote in.

For example, if you live in Berwickshire, you have 19 different bidders looking for a share of the £48,374.30 funding pot on offer.

We have listed the central Borders areas below.

You can also vote by post if you would prefer, by calling or writing in to the council, or vote in person at a special voting event, one of which will be held in each locality.

For the central Borders, they are as follows – Cheviot: May 18, 10am-2pm at British Legion in Jedburgh.Eildon: June 1, 10am-2pm at MacArts in Galashiels. Teviot and Liddesdale: May 18, 10am-2pm at Hawick Town Hall. Tweeddale: June 1, 10am-2pm at the Parish Church in Peebles.

The successful bids will be announced over the summer.

Find out more about the projects, or register to vote online, at www.scotborders.gov.uk/LocalitiesBidFund

CENTRAL BORDERS PROJECTS

EILDON PROJECTS – FUNDING POT OF £119,802.30 AVAILABLE

Energise Galashiels Trust & Galashiels Academy Parent Council – £13,500 for a new AV system which will be accessible for use by every club, charity and not-for-profit organisation in the town.

WorksPlus – £5,994 – to deliver an all-age, employability skills, weekly drop-in, to help with moving from unemployment to employment.

Selkirk & District Community Council – £1,644.30 – to halt the deterioration of the fountain located in the grounds of the Victoria Hall.

Heriot Primary School Parent Council – £12,539.50 – to transform the school ground into a multi-sports facility for pupils, local groups and the community.

Newtown & Eildon Community Council – £6,151.54 – to extend the town’s festive lights.

Lauderdale Scout Group – £10,000 – to help replace the roof in the Lauderdale Scout Hall, which is available for all members of the community to use.

Interest Link Borders – £6,129 – towards befriending groups for 35 children and adults with learning disabilities.

Stable Life – £15,000 – to help with the essential rebuild of its indoor riding school at Ashkirk.

Selkirk Regeneration Company – £15,000 – to complete work on the old fish shop in Tower Street, to make it a pop-up shop, meeting or exhibition space, or energy advice centre for the community.

Borders Street Pastors – £405 – for three mobile phones to aid team leaders in delivering the service.

Selkirk Silver Band – £7,740.99 – for soundproofing and repointing of the band’s rehearsal hall.

Galashiels Community Council – £15,000 – towards its Christmas lights project.

Eildon West Youth Hub – £8,936 – for TD1 Active, supporting young people to run free activities.

Selkirk Community Football Club – £13,500 – to fund the completion of essential clubhouse renovation works.

Knowepark Parent Partnership – £3,231 – to deliver a fun and engaging computer coding program for primary school children and local community groups.

Beyond Earlston – £10,515 – To enable the youth group to support and equip the Community Garden Hub located in the grounds of the high school.

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society – £1,872 – to re-establish the Scottish Country Dancing Festival.

Glendinning Terrace Primary Parent Teacher Council – £9,636 – for playground equipment within the Glendinning community.

Borders Youth Theatre – £4,096 – to part fund a drama project based at Langlee, followed by a four-show tour for the local community.

Rowland’s Selkirk – £2,000 – towards the Selkirk Community Fireworks project.

Incorporation of Hammermen – £15,000 – towards the regeneration of Hammerman’s Hall to make it a meeting room/museum for community groups to use.

TWEEDDALE PROJECTS – £61,416.20 AVAILABLE

Newlands Community Development Trust – £15,000 – to turn Newlands Activity Centre into a first-class theatre, dance, performance and exhibition space.

Peebles Lawn Tennis Club – £2,000 – to help resurface tennis courts, so it can be an asset to the community and visitors.

Walkerburn Public Hall – £13,500 – for urgent repairs to the roof which has nail sickness.

Walkerburn Community Development Trust – £3,000 – for pictures of the mill interior at work and local wildlife which will be painted into the window openings of the mill on the A72.

St Ronan’s Bowling Club – £4,577.20 – to upgrade the changing rooms and make them weatherproof.

Peebles and District Mens Shed – £10,821 – to equip a wood and metal workshop and social space.

Innerleithen and District Community Council – £4,315.20 – to develop a model to combat dog poo and buy 18 bins with poo bag dispensers.

St Ronan’s Youth and Community Centre – £8,442.08 – towards the edible garden, a community garden run by volunteers.

Eastgate Theatre – £3,507.50 – to install a system to allow hard of hearing, and sight-impaired people to enjoy performances.

Food Foundation – £5,220 – to create a garden café at Victoria Park Centre where students can serve home-made food.

Outside the Box – £1,098.50 – for three fun taster sessions to try activities such as new age kurling, campfire building and a bake-off.

Peebleshire Youth Trust – £8,620 – to support children in the move from primary to high school, by running activities and a summer residential.

Peebles Callants – £13,500 – to create a short, level connecting path beside the Tweed to bypass two large sets of steps, enabling easy access to Haylodge Park from the town centre for wheelchair users.

Peebles CAN – £2,669 – for a composting toilet in the communityb garden.

Peebles Burgh Silver Band – £15,000 – to encourage the study and practice of free instrumental brass music by purchasing newinstrumentsnew band set of instruments.

Peebles Ex Service Mens Pipe Band – £4,446 – to assist with venue hire for the next year.

Innerleithen Community Trust – £11,573 – to provide an archive to store and catalogue historical objects, documents and records relating to Innerleithen’s past and set up a database.

West Linton Community Council – £7,200 – for a bookable community taxi service for communities living along the A702.

TEVIOT & LIDDESDALE PROJECTS – £61,416.20 AVAILABLE

Rulewater Development Trust – £1,991.52 – to purchase a notice board and produce a brochure giving local information on accommodation, walks, cycling, places of interest and events for tourists.

Future Hawick – £3,512 – towards Hawick welcome hosts, who greet visitors to the town.

Friends of Drumlanrig School – £15,000.00 – Providing access to a sensory garden area, an obstacle course and fitness equipment suitable for all ages, to benefit the community.

Live Music Hawick – £15,000 – to pay for the festival’s free events, workshops, sound equipment and marketing.

Town of a Thousand Trails – £15,000 – To focus on outdoor activities using trails through the natural beauty of Hawick and the surrounding area.

Friends of Wilton Park – £7,650 – for a specially-designed trishaw bike which would give people who have less mobility the opportunity to get outdoors and socialise. Pilots would transport passengers free of charge around Wilton Park in each of the seasons.

Escape Youth Services – £11,655 – to establish a weekly low-cost community lunch club to bring together members of the local community of all ages, with monthly activity sessions open to all.

Burnfoot Community Futures – £6,030 – to purchase resources to support the creation of a new afterschool and holiday club for Burnfoot children, offering activities such as arts, crafts, music, sports and more.

CHEVIOT PROJECTS – £50,568.20 available

Jedburgh Community Council – £15,000 for festive lighting project.

Yetholm Community Council – £12,836.79 for a community fitness suite.

Kelso Wheelers – £12,000 –to improve and enhance popular off-road cycling trails.

Kelso Football Club – £3,330.00 – for an extra pitch with movable goals to support extra demand.

Ancrum Fete Committee – £7,631.92 – for new fete marquee, to be used all year for community events.

Nisbet Initiatives Collective – £3,600 – to improve church yard.

Bright Start Borders – £9,603.00 – to start the Bright Start Jollies afterschool programme.

Sports and Arts – £12,645 – To introduce sports such as floorball, dodgeball, handball and many more.