Temple Old Kirk and Midlothian Village Halls receive funding boost

Temple Old Kirk Friends community group, and Carrington, North Middleton and Temple Village Halls have all received grants from the Greencoat Carcant (Moorfoot) Community Fund in 2020.

Volunteers from Temple Old Kirk Friends (TOKF) group will receive training in techniques as diverse as historical research and interpretation, drone surveys, digital archiving and stone cleaning. Their aim is to help conserve the churchyard and its history, improve the visitor experience and ultimately to make the Temple Old Kirk and churchyard a vibrant village landmark.  With advice from Archaeology Scotland’s ‘Treasured Remains’ initiative, this project marks an important first step towards that vision.

We're thrilled and looking forward to what these workshops will achieve:  teaching us transferable skills and providing new ways to communicate with visitors and engage with Temple Old Kirk and its rich history.

 

Malabika Purkayastha, TOKF’s Chair.

Launched in 2010, the Fund receives annual community benefit payments generated by Carcant Wind Farm (owned by Greencoat UK Wind) over a 25 year period, to promote community activity and enhance community life.  A panel of local residents decides how the funding is used. 

All of us on the panel were happy to support the project.  In the Moorfoot area, we are always keen to encourage our residents to get involved in community projects and anyone interested can find contact details on the villages’ Facebook pages or Moorfoot Community Council website

 

Lorna Crook, Local Panel member and Moorfoot Community Councillor.

The Panel also awarded grants to three local village halls to help their financial resilience in the face of significant drops in income during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Panel of local residents know the area intimately, and were well placed to recognise the growing financial challenges the village halls were facing.  Carrington, North Middleton and Temple Village Halls are vital community facilities at the heart of village life, and the grants awarded will be vital in safeguarding their futures

 

Malcolm Jack, Community Fund Manager at Foundation Scotland which manages the Fund on behalf of Greencoat UK Wind.