An art festival, a literary project and an initiative to widen female participation and leadership in mountain biking are among six projects from the south of Scotland and North Northumberland to receive funding from a new community grant scheme run by Destination Tweed, the £25 million source-to-sea river restoration project.
The grant scheme has awarded a total of £44,428 in its first funding round as part of efforts to support community initiatives with a connection to the River Tweed and its nature, history, stories and traditions. The scheme is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Tweed Valley’s FNY Collective, which encourages women to take up mountain biking, has received £10,000 for its Women Ride the Tweed project. The initiative will see the development of a series of routes along the Tweed that highlight inspirational women and the roles they have played in history. A number of events, including a costumed ride, will also be held.
The Wilson’s Tales Project in Berwick-Upon-Tweed has also received support with a £5,200 grant to help it deliver a series of events to highlight and share the work of 19th century writer and editor, JM Wilson. Wilson’s Tales of the Borders was a treasure trove of local stories that became an 19th century publishing sensation.
Open Studios Innerleithen has received £2,305 towards running costs for its 2024 event on 27th and 28th September. The project will see 35-40 local artists display works in their own homes, in studios and within local businesses. This year’s programme features a series of participatory events including cultural walks along the Tweed.
The Trimontium Trust near Melrose will also receive £10,000 to help upgrade interpretation panels at Newstead Roman fort. Plans include the use of innovative technologies to enhance the visitor experience and improve engagement and understanding of this important site.
The volunteers from Peeblesshire Paths Group, who maintain the Tweed Valley Rail Path between Peebles and Cardrona, have been awarded £7,960 to purchase a weed brush machine to make path maintenance quicker and more effective. The equipment will be shared with partner organisations in Innerleithen and Walkerburn. The groups maintain a total of 25km of local paths.
Woven Kinship CIC’s Down by the River I… project will receive £8,962 to enable it to deliver arts-for-wellbeing engagement activities along the Tweed. Events for adults and young people will allow participants to explore the land and water through creative tasks and accessible guided movement. The initiative will partner with other organisations including a mental health charity.
Destination Tweed Director, Luke Fisher, said; “These six projects celebrate the rich cultural and natural heritage of the River Tweed and also foster community engagement, creativity and inclusivity. From encouraging women to participate in mountain biking to preserving historical tales and enhancing visitor experiences, each plays an important role in connecting people with the Tweed’s unique stories and landscapes. We’re delighted that to be able to award the first Destination Tweed Community Grants to these exceptional initiatives and hope that they will inspire other grassroots projects to come forward for inclusion in our next funding round.”
The Destination Tweed Community Grants Scheme awards individual grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 for projects based predominantly within 2km of the River Tweed and the River Annan from Moffat.
Eligible projects could include anything from tree or native wildflower planting in a community space, the installation of bat boxes or wildlife cameras and community archaeology and heritage projects, to traditional events, cultural projects or the installation of interpretation panels telling the Tweed’s stories.
The next two grant application deadlines for the scheme are 9 October 2024 and 12 February 2025. Full details are available on the Destination Tweed website where a map showing eligible project areas can be viewed. Information on potential match-funding partners is also available.
The Community Grants scheme is one of thirteen Destination Tweed projects. The multi-faceted initiative centres on the creation of a 113-mile River Tweed Trail that will connect communities and attractions along the route, improve the landscape and river habitat and provide a unique experience for locals and visitors alike. Sensitive, impactful and innovative interpretation is planned to engage new and existing audiences, with cultural, education and environmental projects already underway. A community archaeology initiative is also set to launch in the coming weeks. All will combine to deliver significant economic, environmental, educational and social benefits to the south of Scotland and north Northumberland.