In a bid to help local charities and organisations, Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate opened applications to its community bursary fund for 2017 and the beneficiaries have now all received their cash boost.
The initiative, allocated £1,000 in a number of small donations of up to £200, to community groups across Nithsdale and Upper Nithsdale who were in need of financial support for events, projects or general running costs.
The Dumfries and Galloway Physical Disability Athletics Club and Thornhill Beavers( Main Photo) both received a cheque for £200. The Athletics Club plan to purchase specialised gloves for wheelchair racing and the Beavers will have brand new play equipment and gardening tools for next season thanks to the Drumlanrig cash.
Therapy Dogs and Learners Together also benefited from the 2017 fund. Their £150 bursary will be used for marketing materials to recruit new volunteers at Therapy Dogs and provide ingredients for a six week healthier choice cookery course at Learners Together.
The final three beneficiaries for this year, receiving £100, are Kindred Spirits, Lochside is Families Together and Thornhill Gala. Kindred Spirits which has 260 kinship careers in Dumfries and Galloway will use its bursary towards the running costs of home visits and days out for children while Thornhill Gala will purchase new tables for upcoming events.
Claire Oram, Castle Manager at Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate, said: “Our community bursary fund welcomed applications from groups of all specialties and sizes, and we’re delighted to be able to support these seven local organisations.
“We were keen for this money to support groups that truly benefit the local area as engaging with the community is important to the team here at Drumlanrig.
“As the groups are all very different and the funding will be used for a range of causes, we hope that as a result many local residents will benefit from our initiative.”
The Estate is open to visitors from 10am – 5pm daily through to 30 September. The Castle will be open for tours from 1 July – 31 August.
Visit www.drumlanrigcastle.co.uk for further information and keep track of what’s happening at Drumlanrig via the Facebook page @DrumlanrigCastle.
