June 2020 monthly update

Sunart Helping Hands – Mashed Potatoes to Micro-chips

We are delighted that the community company was eligible to apply for funding to help respond to the Covid19 Crisis and was awarded £8,500 from Highlands & Islands Enterprise, as part of the Scottish Governments Supporting Communities Fund. This is helping to fund additional support services from Ewens’s Room, the Helping Hands Sunday Lunches (now over 40 per week), a “Thinking of You Gift” gift of over 60 azaleas to local residents and other costs. Community Company volunteer Morag Jones is pictures collecting the plants which were sponsored by Marion & Gary MacPherson of Poppies Garden Centre in Oban.   We have also been able to provide the Community Council with four new Samsung Galaxy Tablets to help folk in isolation get online and talk to their families  – -these are now available to borrow by contacting our Dail Mhor Project Officer Lara van de Peer at lara@sunartcommunitycompany.co.uk. Lara explains “We are aware of some people who don’t have the necessary IT support in their house to use things like Zoom or WhatsApp calling, or whose laptop may have  ‘gone on the blink’ and needs repair. Also, some families in lockdown are struggling to share out their wi-fi time or need an extra computer with everyone stuck at home. With these brand new tablets we hope to be able to get local residents to get through the long days of social isolation whilst we await news of a relaxation from the Scottish Government. Once the CV19 crisis is over we will be able to offer these devices to Dail Mhor to enable those in respite care who don’t have their own tablets to stay in touch with loved ones or to use for web browsing, games and puzzles whilst staying in Dail Mhor.”

Volunteer Needed to Post Updates on our Website!

Can you lend a hand with our website? The Sunart Community Company is looking for a volunteer helper. As well as asking for more committee members to join the Board, we are looking for a volunteer that can spare a few hours per month keeping our web pages updated. It is built in WordPress so in theory anyone with basic IT skills can update it. If you are sitting in ‘lockdown’ thinking about helping your local charity now here’s your chance. Training will be provided…………. if you can spare a wee bit of time. Thank you! Just contact admin@sunartcommunitycompany.co.uk

Sunart Community Benefit Fund

Due to the CV19 lockdown, the April meeting of the Sunart Community Benefit Panel meeting was postponed, although we are delighted to say that Sunart Community Renewables was able to donate another £10,000 to the fund. Sadly several planned community events were cancelled or postponed due to CV19 a number of funding applications were withdrawn, but we still have some applications in the pipeline.  We will be arranging a virtual meeting of the panel instead so hope to announce further awards next month.  Anyone wishing to join the Panel and help distribute the fund is welcome to apply by contacting admin@sunartcommunitycompany.co.uk . Volunteers (normally!) meet only twice per year to examine applications and agree awards. Anyone wishing to apply for funds is reminded that application forms are available at www.sunartcommunitycompany.co.uk and there will be another round of funding with applications closing in September. Stay safe everyone!