Lanarkshire LEADER supports WAT IF? Development Manager

The Lanarkshire LEADER programme has awarded a grant of £69,720 to the WAT IF? community development trust to support the employment of a Development Manager for three years.

Woolfords, Auchengray, Tarbrax Improvement Foundation was established in 2012 and aims to support rural regeneration and community development in the three villages. It also manages the distribution of community benefit funding generated from surrounding local wind farms.

The WAT IF? area is characterised as being a scattered collection of rural villages and more isolated houses and farms. It is very much a rural economy with agriculture as a key element. In the distant past the area had a thriving coal and oil shale industry, however these closed in the 1920s causing great hardship with few other sources of employment.

Although the area is identified in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) as among the 5% most access deprived in Scotland, it has retained a strong sense of community and developed a resilience that is still very evident today.

Pat Mavor, WAT IF? board member said:

"The organisation has reached a level in its development where capacity is limited by a reliance on a volunteer-based management board. A key aim of this role is to develop a robust, capable and resilient organisation delivering a range of priority community projects such the development of affordable housing."

Chris Parkin, Lanarkshire LEADER Programme Manager said,

"Employing a Development Manager will enable WAT IF? to produce a new five year Community Action Plan that identifies local project priorities. Importantly the organisation has shown that it is financially sustainable and capable of developing and delivering projects and services that will offer social and economic benefit well after the grant funding has ended."

You can find out more about the Lanarkshire LEADER Programme on their website or by emailing leader@southlanarkshire.gov.uk.

You can find out more about WAT IF? by visiting the WAT IF? website or stay up to date by following www.facebook.com/WATIFCommunityTrust.