Leader of Inverness and Area, Councillor Ian Brown said: “I am delighted that we have been able to approve a dozen key projects and activities in the area that meet the focus of the funding criteria which is aimed at enabling economic recovery, regeneration, and community resilience.

“There is a diverse range of successful community applications covering age ranges, indoor and outdoor activities, and cultural and sporting groups to name but a few examples.”

The successful applicants were:

• The Highland Council: Whin Park project - £100,000.
• Free North Church: Restoration Project - £40,000.
• Safe Space Inverness: Safe Space Inverness - £33,800.
• Glen Urquhart Men’s Shed Group: Workshop & Office Refurbishment - £10,000.
• 2nd Inverness Scout Group: Hall Insulation Project - £36,514.55.
• Culduthel Woods Group: Culduthel Woods Path Restoration Project – £12,000.
• Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development: ICT Community HUB - £50,000.
• The Ledge SCIO: Clean Air /Warm Air - £58,485.
• Cultarlann Inbhir Nis: Insulating the East Church - £90,000.
• Merkinch Partnership: One Stop Shop Advice Service - £25,000.
• Inverness Wheeled Sports Club: Inverness City Wheeled Sports Feasibility Study and Strategy - £9,987.
• LGBT Youth Scotland: LGBTYS Highlands - £9,987.

Community Regeneration Funding is an umbrella term for several funds that are available for communities/organisations to access in Highland.

It comprises elements of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund along with the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme, both of which are Scottish Government Funding streams to support economic regeneration and sustainable development in Highland.

Councillors also agreed to ringfence any remaining balance within the 2023/24 Community Regeneration Funding allocation to deliver area priorities identified through work to develop an area-based plan. These full applications will be brought to a future committee meeting for consideration.