Residents of Sandford and Upper Avondale are being encouraged to get involved in the 14 community projects identified in the new Community Action Plan 2020-2025, available to view on the new Sandford and Upper Avondale Community Council (SUACC) website, www.suacc.com. Copies are also available to view here.
The Plan sets out a five-year vision for the area, after consultation with residents on what they felt would make the community a better place to live, work and play. It will be used to kick start the projects identified, serving as evidence of what the community needs for potential funders and partners.
The 14 projects identified through the community consultation process include organising community volunteer days, establishing a new Community Development Trust, new and improved play facilities, and improving and establishing new walking and cycling paths in the area, amongst other ideas.
The public launch for the Community Action Plan, scheduled in March, was postponed due to lockdown measures, although it is hoped that this can take place once guidelines allow, later in the year.
Chris Cassels, SUACC Chair, says, “We are delighted to publish our plan and launch our revised website to support our rural community and help build resilience as we start to recover from the impacts of Coronavirus.”
The Plan was led by SUACC with support from LEADER funded Community Action Lanarkshire, and was delivered by Community Links Scotland.
Sarah O’Sullivan, Community Action Lanarkshire, says, “The amount of community feedback from the consultation process was fantastic – 154 residents completed two surveys, 46 attended drop-in workshops and 82 pupils from both Sandford and Gilmourton Primary Schools took part in workshops and surveys. The draft results were finalised with local stakeholders, including South Lanarkshire Council. Every single person who has contributed to the Plan has made a valuable contribution to the community, and we’re eager to see what happens next.”
The plan was funded by Banks Renewables, the developer and operator of Kype Muir Wind Farm near Sandford. A number of the projects identified in the Plan are eligible for funding from the Kype Muir Community Fund (KMCF), which will be shared equally between council areas of Lesmahagow; Sandford and Upper Avondale; Stonehouse; Strathaven & Glassford; and Blackwood, Kirkmuirhill & Boghead.
Jeannie Raine, Community Relations Manager at Banks Renewables said, “It’s excellent to see that Sandford and Upper Avondale Community Council have undertaken thorough community consultation to better understand what their local community want to see delivered from the Kype Muir Community Fund in the next five years.”
The Community Action Plan is one of eight rural plans completed in North and South Lanarkshire, through Community Action Lanarkshire over the last three years. Community Action Lanarkshire, a project of the Rural Development Trust, has just been awarded almost £148,000 through the National Lottery Community Fund to help develop, lead and deliver projects identified in the plans over the following three years, in Caldercruix, Greengairs, Harthill, Plains and Upperton in North Lanarkshire and Carstairs Junction, Kirkfieldbank and Sandford and Upper Avondale in South Lanarkshire.
Copies of the plan can be viewed digitally at www.suacc.com and www.communityactionlan.org. For more information, contact SUACC at