Welcome to the KDP Bulletin.
 
Barnardo’s: See, Hear, Respond
Barnardo’s is launching a new service to support vulnerable families who are struggling to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
See, Hear, Respond will work with families offering practical and therapeutic support including counselling seven days a week to help those facing a wide range of challenges, from anxiety, loneliness and isolation to children struggling with a return to school and parents worried about relationship breakdowns or poverty.
For more information visit the website.
 
Inspiring Aberdeenshire 2021 – Deadline
These awards recognise the unsung community heroes of Aberdeenshire; those people who work tirelessly to support their community and the people in it, but who often don’t get recognised. These are their awards; awards which demonstrate beyond doubt that it is our people who make Aberdeenshire tick.
There have been 8 awards in previous years, recognising everything from cultural heroes to green champions, and those who demonstrate outstanding bravery. For 2021 an extra category has been added. The Covid-19 category seeks to recognise the best of the community effort in response to the pandemic. As in previously, all awards can be given to either individuals or groups.
Click here to learn more and to vote.

The Scottish Recovery Network – New Website
Full of free resources, ideas and insights, this new website has been created to help groups, organisations, communities and services develop recovery focused mental health support powered by lived experience. 
Take a look around the website here.
 
Calor Rural Community Fund 
Calor Rural Community Fund is giving away £85,000 to rural communities with projects that are off the mains gas grid. Groups have the opportunity to use the crowdfunding platform to raise awareness for their initiative, giving them the chance to raise money for their project alongside funds awarded.
To apply click here. 
 
Aberdeenshire Wellbeing Festival 
This will be the 6th year of the Aberdeenshire Wellbeing Festival in support of National Mental Health Week.
In supporting the festival and acknowledging we all have mental health we are helping reduce mental health stigma, supporting recovery and preventing poor mental health.  It acknowledges that mental health and wellbeing should be and is everybody’s business. 
The theme is nature and the environment and events should be virtual or outdoor and take place from the 10th to the 16th of May and must conform to Covid-19 protection measures.
If you have a good idea for an event, submissions must be sent by Monday the 5th of April.
More information is available here.  
 
Volunteer Scotland have launched a new Investing in Volunteers Standard
Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management.
If you want to assess the quality of your volunteer management and involvement, prove and improve the effectiveness of your work with volunteers, and enhance your organisation’s reputation, Investing in Volunteers provides the ideal framework.
Achieving the standard shows your volunteers – and potential volunteers – how much they are valued and gives them confidence in your ability to provide an outstanding volunteer experience.
Find out more here.
 
Launch of Aberdeenshire Public Health Team ‘Facebook’ page 
The Aberdeenshire Public Health Team has officially launched its suite of three ‘facebook pages’ designed to bring you health and wellbeing information from North, Central and South Aberdeenshire.
The information will be drawn from national, regional, and local sources and will also feature community health and wellbeing initiatives being developed from across Aberdeenshire.  
​In order to join the ‘South’ page click here.

KDP is here to help in any way we can.  Please let us know how we can support you or your organisation.  We will continue to share information and guidance in our Bulletins, however, due to the speed of change and quantity of information, the most current details will be found on our Facebook page (@kincardineshiredevelopmentpartnership).
 
Should you wish to get in touch, our contact details are as follows:
Jacky Niven              Development Officer                       jniven@kdp.scot
Margo Titmuss         Office/Windfarm Admin                  officesupport@kdp.scot

All of this information was correct at time of writing. 

Last month, funding worth a total of £24,332.59 was awarded to a range of local groups and projects in the area of benefit of the Meikle Carewe Wind Farm Community Fund.

RES, a leading independent renewable energy developer, established the Meikle Carewe Windfarm Community Benefit Fund to support local groups and projects. Funding is available for the benefit of not-for-profit groups and organisations in the Community Council areas of Crathes, Drumoak & Durris, Newtonhill, Muchalls & Cammachmore, North Kincardine Rural, Portlethen & District and Stonehaven & District. Administered by Kincardineshire Development Partnership (KDP), applications to the fund are assessed by a Decision-Making Panel made up of representatives from all five Community Council areas. The fund is available annually for the lifetime of the wind farm.

Successful applicants this round were:

Crathes Public Hall Trust – £464.51; Skateraw Hall – £2000; Maryculter Driving for the Disabled Group – £1400; Maryculter Woodlands Trust – £1118; Portlethen & District Voluntary Community Ambulance Association – £500; Panthers Basketball Club – £2480; Portlethen Paths Development Group – £2505.98; Rhythm Nation Dance Crews – £2750.47; Friends of Stonehaven Open Air Swimming Pool – £2095.02; Stonehaven Community Radio – £5000; 1297 Stonehaven Squadron Air Cadets – £1595.88; Stonehaven Horizon Group – £1635 and The Bellman – £787.73. Unfortunately, this year there was no Awards Ceremony due to current restrictions.

As a result of Covid, the Meikle Carewe Community Fund did not allocate grants in 2020. Instead, the fund is allocating twice in 2021. It will reopen on 1st July, with a closing date of 30th September, when the second allocation of funding will take place.

For more information please visit, www.kdp.scot or contact the KDP office on 07903 156864 and windfarms@kdp.scot

Do you know anyone living in your area aged between 16-24, who is considering becoming self-employed or starting their own business?

Robert Gordon University have teamed up with Aberdeenshire Council’s Employability Support Team to launch a new six-week programme under the Young Person’s Guarantee.

This free online programme will include live workshops, an online course and the opportunity to connect with other business support services in Aberdeenshire.

The first live workshop will be on 7th April at 10am, so if you know someone that would benefit from taking part, ask them to check out the application criteria and apply as soon as possible.

Application webpage: www.rgu.ac.uk/enterprise-booster