Outer Hebrides LEADER awards over £1 million in 2016

The Outer Hebrides LEADER Local Action Group announced recently that over £1 million has been awarded in grants to community groups and businesses across the Outer Hebrides since the programme opened for applications in April 2016.

A total of 17 community-led projects with a cumulative value of almost £3.5m have been supported by LEADER funding this year. LEADER grants of £1,036,613 have levered-in additional investment worth nearly £2.5m, which equates to over £3.30 for each £1 of LEADER grant committed. 

Colin Gilmour, Chairman of the Outer Hebrides LEADER Local Action Group (LAG) said: 

"The LEADER LAG is delighted to announce we have achieved a major milestone in awarding over £1m of our total LEADER allocation in the first year of the current Programme. The 17 projects supported to-date will deliver clear economic benefits through progressing income-generation opportunities, along with achieving a range of cultural and social benefit spin-offs for local communities across the Outer Hebrides."

LEADER funding has been delivering significant community-led local development (CLLD) opportunities to local communities across the Outer Hebrides for over 25 years. The Outer Hebrides LEADER Programme is administered by a Local Action Group (LAG) comprising of private and public representatives from across a wide range of sectors. The Scottish Government allocated a total of £3.17m for the current EU LEADER Programme 2014-2020 to the Outer Hebrides LAG. 

The LEADER team is accessible in the Comhairle’s Stornoway and Balivanich offices to support properly-constituted groups and small businesses with projects that create opportunities with tangible local development outputs. For information contact Donna Matheson, Outer Hebrides LEADER Coordinator, on: (01851)-600-501, or donna.matheson@cne-siar.gov.uk.