For the past three months a group of local people have been meeting to agree and establish the application process and criteria for grants.

Local groups and individuals can apply for up to £5,000 for projects that are led by local people, with priority being given to projects that promote positive mental health and tackle isolation, loneliness and boredom being

Paul Cardonna, steering group participant said: “Our community has been in some form of lockdown over the past year, and we all know the impact this has had on the mental health of everyone, children are struggling to adjust to home schooling, adults miss catching up with friends and a majority of our older population have been stuck indoors shielding away from the rest of the community. We want to hear people’s good ideas that will overcome these issues and make people happier in ways that are safe and stick to social distancing rules.”

To be successful in receiving funding, projects will also have to demonstrate that their project is led by local people.

Gordon Larkin, community development worker at the Tannahill Centre, added: “The Ferguslie Park Good Ideas Fund is more than just a way of giving out grants, it’s about supporting local people use their existing and new skills to help Ferguslie Park reach its full potential.

“We’ve seen lots of informal groups pop-up to support their neighbours during the pandemic, with many people volunteering in their community for the first time. We want to encourage these people to stay active in their local community, so we are happy to receive applications from individuals and un-constituted or informal groups as well.”

This grant scheme is being funded by the Scottish Government’s Investing in Communities fund, which has also funded similar grant programmes run by the Tannahill Centre in the past, aimed at building the skills, knowledge and confidence of local groups and organisations.

This includes Pals of the Privies, Own Yer Bike and Cameron School of Dance who have all gone on to develop new projects and services as well as secure funding from other sources such as the National Lottery Community Fund.

Gordon Larkin continued: “These groups have shown that if you give local people some money and resources they can achieve incredible things, we hope our new grant fund will enable the new and existing volunteers within Ferguslie Park to establish services that are much needed in our community.”

Application forms can be downloaded from the Tannahill Centre’s social media pages or by contacting Gordon directly on gordonlarkin@fpha.org.uk.

The deadline for applications is 10:00 am on Monday, 1st March 2021.