Lhanbryde Community Challenge

Lhanbryde Community Challenge is a voluntary organisation operating in one of the poorest communities in Moray to tackle a wide range of issues such as poverty, unemployment, lack of childcare, transport, training and generally to improve the quality of life in the local community.

To foster social inclusion, capacity building and active citizenship within the community of Lhanbryde

Supportive – to be an approachable committee, with knowledgeable and helpful staff and volunteers
Co-operative – to work in partnership with agencies, groups and the community
Non-discriminatory – ensure there are no barriers to individuals involvement and participation in the community
Democratic – to ensure that community decision making is an equal process and everybody’s views are heard and respected

We envisage the community of Lhanbryde as a thriving and pleasant place to live. It will set an example to other communities of a model of best practice for community regeneration.

Lhanbryde Community Challenge works together with the local community to develop and enhance local facilities, activities and services.

Volunteers are active within their community and key to the success of the organisation’s development.

This plan takes into account the aspirations of the local community and proposed developments to be achieved between January 2008 and December 2010.

Before 1974, which was a time of local government reform, Lhanbryde had an Amenities Committee. The village had just been dramatically increased in size, at the instigation of the local authority, in anticipation of oil-related employment coming to the area; which in the event was largely unrealised. Along with the increase in population there was a strong demand for a Village Hall, to augment the limited community facilities available in the new Primary School.

Local contention arose as to the type of organisation that should be established to focus voluntary community development, and take the hall project forward. The choice was seen to be between a semi-statutory Community Council, restricted to Lhanbryde, or to continue with the idea of an independent, wholly voluntary organisation, having charitable status. In the event the Lhanbryde Community Association, geographically aligned to the boundary of the Parish of St Andrews-Lhanbryd, became the accepted model.

Innes Community Council was later established, with representation from the four voluntary community/amenity bodies in the Innes Ward area (Lhanbryde, Garmouth and Kingston, Mosstodloch, Urquhart).

Lhanbryde Community Association (LCA) became the lead body to take forward an ambitious plan for a new village hall which was officially opened on 1 June 1980, by the then Lord Lieutenant of Morayshire, Sir Iain Tennant, KT, on ground leased by the Moray Council to the Association, for a peppercorn rent. The funding for the hall came from a 50% Scottish Education Department capital grant, matched with 12.5% each from Grampian Regional Council and Moray District Council and 25% raised by LCA. That 25% represented much voluntary effort, great local generosity and enthusiastic community activity. LCA was also deeply involved in all aspects of community life, and, working together with the locally elected Councillors, was assiduous in linking the public, private and voluntary sectors, for the local good. This is a situation that has continued to this day.

This pattern of local community involvement remained unchanged until 2001, when the Community Association was wound up in favour of The Lhanbryde Challenge, which would also be a voluntary, charitable organisation, but with a somewhat changed constitution, no longer confined to a strictly geographical area, and with a wider remit to enable better access to different sources of European and Scottish Executive challenge funding, trusts, National Lottery and support in cash and kind from a variety of agencies. The scope of the new organisation better reflected the development of a partnership approach to meeting locally identified needs and aspirations and, crucially, the funding of staff and training of volunteers, together with provision for expenses, childcare, etc.

Over the last six years our organisation has received support from various funders, organisations and agencies including: New Opportunities Fund, Moray Childcare Partnership, Awards for All, the Social Inclusion Partnership (Moray Youthstart), St Andrews-Lhanbryd and Urquhart Parish Church of Scotland, CSV, HIE Moray, Scottish Executive Local Capital Grant Scheme, the Moray Council, Moray Action for Communities, the European Social Fund and NHS Grampian.

Between January 2006 and December 2007 funding was made available through the ESF Objective 3 Programme, with match funding from the Moray Council Quality of Life funding to develop the Lhanbryde Resource Centre to create a social, learning, working heart for the community of Lhanbryde and to create a sense of community identity. This project allowed for the development of the Community Office, the Community Resource Room, and provided training courses for the local community in a variety of skills. The Lhanbryde Community Challenge Management Committee also sourced funding of over £200,000 for the redevelopment and extension of Lhanbryde Village Hall (subsequently renamed Lhanbryde Community Centre). The additional space created allowed for the re-housing of the Community Office and Community Resource Room, and also allows for further developments such as the establishment of a Community Cafe, childcare developments, and training facilities. In addition the extension provided the opportunity to house local services such as the local housing agency’s surgery, the provision of NHS Grampian services, a pilot project of a “discreet” Grampian police office and Citizens Advice Bureau surgery.