Since our application to the Big Lottery has gone off, we have been busy putting together bids for the other £2 million necessary to be able to undertake the work necessary. We have also been putting in applications for funding to support the ongoing Project work necessary, and other vital costs, such as Legal Advice.
The applications being processed at the moment include Scottish Rural Development Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Leader, and European Rural Development Fund.
We will not know the outcomes of these applications until at least April or even later, so we can only hope for good news.
A relatively positive meeting has also been held with Historic Scotland, and we await with bated breath their decision regarding our bid for £225,000.
THE BIG LOTTERY
Last October was a very busy month, which was when we had to finalise our Application to the Big Lottery, Growing Community Assets Programme, for £1 million. The application, together with a full business plan, and detailed financial projections, amounting to a significant forest of trees in paperwork went off on time! We do not expect to get a decision until at least April. However, they are coming to visit us in the next 2 weeks to assess our application and see if more information is needed.
We were really honoured and thrilled to be chosen as an organisation to be visited by the Director of Big Lottery, Scotland, Dharmendra Kanani who visited Dumfries and Galloway in early December. He spent nearly 2 hours with the Trust and other partners, looking round the Town Hall, listening to what we had to say, and asking very pertinent questions. We were very grateful to D&G Council for suggesting that he visit us, and he seemed very impressed with his visit. We hope it is a good omen!
EVENTS
The Trust has supported 2 major events in the Town Hall recently - Hogmany & Burn's Night.
The Hogmanay Ceilidh with the Cosmic Ceilidh Band from Edinburgh was a great success. The band really captured the mood of the night, and got everyone dancing or tapping their feet with the range and quality of their playing. Doing the St. Bernard’s Waltz to the music from Swan Lake in Scottish Traditional style was certainly a new experience! The interval buffet was much appreciated, especially the fresh fruit in pineapple and melon cases. Over 70 tickets were sold, although the weather kept a few people away on the night. A small profit was made for the Trust, but those present really enjoyed the night, including the couple who had come specifically to Moffat from North Wales because of the Ceilidh. See below for Burns Night Report
LEGAL ADVISERS
Following a detailed tendering and interview process with 4 Legal Firms, we have chosen Lindsays of Edinburgh to act as our Legal Advisers.
We were looking for a firm which had significant experience of working with the voluntary sector, and with asset transfer from local authorities on projects of the size of the Town Hall project.
We were impressed with Lindsay’s track record on similar projects, and the superb references provided by other groups that have used them. They also showed themselves to be cost competitive and flexible in their approach.
MOFFAT ACADEMY
We have had meetings with Lesley Watson, the new Rector of Moffat Academy. She is very keen to work with the Trust in a number of areas which would support the curriculum, educational and work experience opportunity, and community involvement aspects which the Project could support. The Academy’s support makes a huge difference to our ‘scores’ with funding bodies, and we are really grateful for Mrs Watson’s commitment. We hope to develop an Academy ‘student group’ once all of the excitement and hard work involved in moving to the new school has died down!
Report on the Burns Supper Friday 29 January 2010
The Moffat Town Hall Redevelopment Trust (MTHRT) held its second annual Burns Supper on Friday 29 January 2010. The event was well supported and guests were welcomed by piper Giovanni Mezzullo and the chairman William Williamson.The haggis was piped in by Giovanni, bearer Tom Mulholland and addressed by Jim McAlister and following the Selkirk Grace by David Stoddart an excellent supper was served by Sandra Braid and helpers.
The musical programme was provided by Holly Little, Willie McRobert, Giovanni Mezzullo ably supported by William Williamson and the company. A spirited “Holy Willies Prayer” was presented in a darkened hall by Joe Glass. An extensive and knowledge “Immortal Memory” was given by Murdo Morrison by drawing the relevance of Burns songs and poetry to the present days. The Toast to the Lassies by Bert Hastings was well received by at least half of the company and Lesley Douglas made the most of her Reply having the last word and not missing the targets and both speakers showed little respect to political correctness. A very passionate rendering with expressive hand signals of “The lass Who Made My Bed for Me” by Robert Opray finished the programme.
Martin Brown, vice chairman of MTHRT thanked all the artists, the caterers and the organisers and reminded guests of supporting such events and the importance of the retention and redeveloping of the Town Hall as a focus and its role as a community resource within Moffat.
Tom Mulholland To Moffat News 1 February 2010