The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s rural Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) Fund, which has replaced the highly-successful LEADER programme.

LEADER ran for six years and was considered to be greatly beneficial to rural areas, and CLLD is intended to build on this success with a primary purpose of developing the capacity and structures of the existing Local Action Groups.

In all, grants totalling £150,684 were awarded in a recent meeting of Lanarkshire Local Action Group.

The Haven, Forth, which supports local wellbeing, received £44,506 to support Covid recovery services and increase marketing and publicity for the organisation, while £25,000 was awarded to Lanark Community Development Trust to support the delivery of the Lanark Vision and develop community wealth and £43,750 to Healthy Valleys to support the development of active travel, including purchase of hybrid bikes.

Coalburn Miners Welfare was supported by £12,428 to develop a Community Action Plan for the village and Biggar Net Zero received £25,000 to investigate community opportunities around pool cars, e-bikes, a refill shop and the retrofitting of heating systems, all supporting the path to Net Zero.

The Scottish Government’s rural CLLD and is administered locally by South Lanarkshire Council, with decisions made by the Local Action Group, and funded projects will help support both community wealth building and the rural areas’ move towards Net Zero.

Councillor Robert Brown, Chair of Community and Enterprise Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The Administration is determined to continue the tremendous success generated by the LEADER programme, and these CLLD grant awards by the Local Action Group have made an excellent start in doing so.

“The five organisations receiving these grants are all perfect examples of what we are trying to encourage, in that they are directly benefiting their communities and undertaking much-needed work in vital causes, helping both people and the environment.