Over £300k of funding will be split between 40 community initiatives across five localities following a public vote.

The successful projects are as follows:

Berwickshire

• Sea the Change - £13,267
• Eat, Sleep, Ride CIC - £3,090
• Duns Swimming Pool - £9,558
• Friends of Ayton Primary - £10,000
• Health in Mind - £5,187
• Connect Youth Berwickshire - will be offered remaining £7,270 from funding pot (original bid was £10,590)

 Cheviot

• Ancrum Fete Committee - £7,631
• Jedburgh Community Council - £15,000
• Nisbet Initiatives Collective - £3,600
• Kelso Football Club - £3,330
• Kelso Wheelers - £12,000
• Bright Start Borders - will be offered remaining £9,006 from funding pot (original bid was £9,603)

Eildon

• Borders Street Pastors - £405
• Stable Life - £15,000
• Selkirk Silver Band - £7,740
• Galashiels Community Council - £15,000
• Energise Galashiels - £13,500
• Royal Scottish Country Dancing Society - £1,872
• Interest Link Borders - £6,129
• Borders Youth Theatre - £4,096
• Selkirk Community Football Club - £13,500
• Incorporation of Hammermen - £15,000
• WorksPlus - £5,994
• Selkirk & District Community Council - £1,644
• Selkirk Regeneration Company - £15,000
• Knowepark Parent Partnership - £3,231
• Glendinning Terrace Primary Parent Teacher Council - will be offered remaining £1,690 from funding pot (original bid was £9,636)

Teviot and Liddesdale

• Friends of Wilton Park - £7,650
• Town of a Thousand Trails - £15,000
• Friends of Drumlanrig School - £15,000
• Escape Youth Services - will be offered remaining £2,430 from funding pot (original bid was £11,655)

Tweeddale

• Walkerburn Public Hall - £13,500
• St Ronans Youth and Community Centre - £8,442
• Eastgate Theatre - £3,507
• St Ronans Bowling Club - £4,577
• Innerleithen & District Community Council - £4,315
• Food Foundation - £5,220
• Peebles and District Mens Shed - £10,821
• Peebles CAN - £2,669
• Peebles Callants - will be offered remaining £8,364 from funding pot (original bid was £13,500)

Councillor Sandy Aitchison, executive member for neighbourhoods and locality services, said: “Congratulations to all the bids that were successful. I can’t wait to see these projects making a difference in our towns and villages right across the Borders in the coming months and years.

“I understand groups that have not been successful will be disappointed but we will offer them more funding advice if they want to continue to take their ideas forward.

“Thanks should go to everyone who took time to cast their votes. After the first round of the fund in 2017 feedback suggested we should make the process more robust, which we did. We apologise if anyone didn’t find it as straightforward as they would have hoped but we will take all feedback on board.

“Localities Bid Fund was a pilot project so we will now take stock of everything and carefully consider how we approach participatory budgeting going forward.

“I am in no doubt, however, that wherever we go from here, Localities Bid Fund has been an important step in communities making decisions about local projects being funded.”