Galloway Glens Legacy Scheme opens for applications

Water safety on Loch Ken. Photo credit: Loch Ken Trust.

The Galloway Glens Scheme came to an end in September 2023 after a fantastic 5 years supporting the communities of the Ken/Dee valley. The legacy of the Galloway Glens can be seen in many concrete ways, such as the Watson Birds Trail in Glenkens, a suite of new footpaths across the whole area or in renewed community buildings and assets. However, it also supported communities in many other ways and made a very real difference to the lives of many people who live here. It was a Dumfries and Galloway Council Environment Team project and administered more than £6million of National Lottery Heritage Funding and other funds over the 5 years, supported by the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.

Now to further its legacy, the Galloway Glens Scheme is re-opening its scheme of small maintenance grants to ensure that legacy Galloway Glens-funded projects can continue to deliver great outcomes for the communities they serve.

£15,000 is available in this second round, which opens on the 22nd September and closes on the 2nd November. Applications can be made by for revenue or capital funding, and the amount requested should be under £5,000 and proportional to the overall fund size and the size of the initial Galloway Glens funding. This legacy funding is intended to extend delivery of the outcomes of the projects originally funded, and this will be the main criteria for assessment.

In the first round, the Legacy fund was delighted to support eight organisations with £15,000 of total funding, leading to additional water safety sessions with the Loch Ken Trust, a special edition of the CD Journal and support for outdoor learning in Kirkcudbright amongst other great projects.

Ed Forrest, GSA Biosphere Director and member of the Legacy Fund Steering Group, said:

“Galloway Glens was an incredible five years of place-based activity that brought together communities, agencies and local organisations around a common theme of protecting, enhancing and understanding our unique natural and cultural heritage. Whilst the project itself may now be over, this funding offers an opportunity to ensure the legacy lives on by revisiting activities that created some of the shared memories and ensuring the upkeep of the infrastructure that was created.”

The application process is being managed by the Glenkens Community and Arts Trust, one of the key Galloway Glens legacy partners, on behalf of a small Steering Group. More information and all applications should therefore be sent to Helen Keron, GCAT Executive Manager, at helen@Catstrand.com during the application window. All details about the application process are on the Glenkens Hub website, https://glenkens.scot/galloway-glens-legacy-fund.