MSP WELCOMES £60,000 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR COLLYDEAN COMMUNITY CENTRE’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE
Published date : 11 May 2020
Glenrothes MSP, Jenny Gilruth, has welcomed a £60,000 funding allocation from the Scottish Government to aid Collydean Community Centre’s response to Covid-19 coronavirus.
The funding has enabled Collydean Community Centre to implement several initiatives, including preparing and delivering emergency food parcels; collecting prescriptions and medical supplies; offering free smartphones and iPads to those with no internet access; and sharing funding with specialist agencies or grassroot organisations throughout Glenrothes and Fife.
After Ms Gilruth put them in touch, Collydean Community Centre was able to provide Kingdom Abuse Survivors Project (KASP) with laptops and smartphones with three months’ free credit to enable the organisation to move their counselling services online. The Centre is also working with
The Centre serves 19,000 residents across North Glenrothes and received a £60,000 grant from the Scottish Government Supporting Communities Fund.
Collydean Community Centre was repurposed in March 2020 as a community anchor organisation following the Coronavirus outbreak.
A long-time supporter of the centre’s work, Jenny Gilruth MSP said:
“Once again, I find myself indebted to the work undertaken by Rose, staff and volunteers at the Collydean Community Centre. The repurposing of the Centre in light of the virus outbreak highlights the stellar work by all involved.
“Collydean Community Centre is the backbone of our local community in North Glenrothes and I know Rose is using this welcome Scottish Government funding to provide and adapt vital services during this time.
“Through the Supporting Communities Fund from the Scottish Government, more than 15 initiatives are being undertaken to bolster the community and support local people through these challenging times.”
Commenting, Collydean Community Centre Manager, Rose Duncan, said:
“So many people in our area have lost all or a proportion of their income due to the national lockdown and struggling to cope with the new stay-at-home regime.
“Many more are self-isolating due to other health conditions and in addition we have a relatively large number of people who were already in the “vulnerable” category resident in the area before the pandemic hit.
“As a result, our food project has proven to be a life changer for so many. Having food parcels delivered to their door in a time when they are afraid to shop themselves has provided a tremendous reassurance and one less thing to worry about.
“We have also done our best to include as many healthy food options as possible. Hats off to our volunteer team for preparing the parcels and managing all the deliveries. Covid-19 has had a devastating global effect but also has shone a light on community spirit in our area.”
ENDS
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