In March, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd anticipated an upsurge in demand from community organisations for small-scale financial assistance.
It made available £30,000 to the North Highland Initiative for its fund to support community organisations impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Figures released by the North Highland Initiative show how the fund has helped more than 30 groups to date.
David Whiteford, chair of the North Highland Initiative, said:
We've had an amazing response to our community support programme so far and are extremely grateful to Dounreay and the NDA for their generous contribution to our overall fund.
This vital, targeted fund is a means of financial help, aimed at communities that are experiencing particular hardship as a result of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Our aim was and still is to identify areas, projects, and local initiatives for which Government support packages may not be able to assist, and those ineligible for emergency funding.
With a limit of £1,000 of funding per project available, this allows us to provide multiple smaller grants aimed at reaching out to as many communities as possible. It also means we can act quickly with the minimum of bureaucracy and get money to where it is needed most.
We're now encouraging even more community groups from across the North Highlands to apply. Application forms are available on our website and funds are ready to be distributed.
Grants awarded so far range from play packs for vulnerable families across Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross to emergency veterinary care for animals in the custody of the SSPCA and food and medicine supplies to households in the greatest need.
For a full list of awards, see: northhighlandinitiative.co.uk
Steve Young, organisational excellence director at DSRL, said:
We knew the lockdown would impact some people and groups more severely than others, and we wanted to play our part in helping those in greatest need cope during the emergency. I'm delighted that the lives of so many people across the north Highlands will have been made a little easier as a result.
Earlier this month, DSRL allocated £100,000 to the Caithness Business Fund to help businesses in Caithness and North Sutherland recover from lockdown and adapt to the requirements of social distancing.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority owns Dounreay and funds its clean-up. The work is carried out by DSRL, a site licence company managed by the Cavendish Dounreay Partnership.
