Two large-scale community projects have been successful in securing just under 1.3 million in funding from the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF), announced yesterday (3 November)

One project will help tackle food insecurity, providing grant funding to local organisations to reach those most in need.  While the other successful project directly addresses community capacity development, supporting skills, training, education and employment opportunities to enable a shared vision of a fairer, net-zero future for Falkirk’s Canalside communities.

The projects are:

• Falkirk Food Futures, Forth Environment Link - aims to work closely with communities and organisations to address food insecurity and build a fairer resilient and sustainable food future. This will be achieved by providing grant funding to enable local organisations to reach those facing the greatest challenges in access to sustainable and dignified food.
• Falkirk’s Canal: A Collaborative Pathway to a Fairer & Net-Zero Future, Green Action Trust, aims to work as a collaborative partnership which will enable a shared vision of a fairer, net-zero future for Falkirk’s Canalside communities. The partnership directly addresses community capacity development, supporting skills, training, education and employment opportunities.

Council Leader Cecil Meiklejohn said: “It’s great to see two local projects receive almost £1.3 million CRF funding which will both help tackle food insecurity and further the area's bid to achieve net zero, therefore reaching some of our communities at most need.  

“I am enormously grateful to all project applicants and partners who prepared their bids to help support their communities and disappointed for those unsuccessful projects. We will be contacting all bidders who submitted their applications to Falkirk Council for consideration following the announcement made on the UK Gov website yesterday.

“Individually and collectively, these successful projects will have a significant effect on Falkirk’s communities as they rebuild and strengthen following the Covid-19 pandemic.”

As the precursor to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the UK Community Renewal Fund aims to provide much-needed funding to specific projects in communities most in need across the United Kingdom. Falkirk Council had been identified as one of the 100 priority places by the UK government meaning projects submitted for consideration were prioritised.