Third sector, including community groups, and public sector organisations can now apply for a small grant of between £200 and £2000 through #YOUCHOOSE4. There is a total of £32,000 available for distribution through tsiMORAY’s latest round of Participatory Budgeting (PB) across two themes, Be Healthy and Connecting Communities through CHIME. The closing date is 21st October.

Thanks to continued collaboration with D21, it has never been easier to apply! Groups can now submit project ideas directly online through a link to the digital platform from tsiMORAY’s website.

On Tuesday 10th September at Elgin Town Hall, four groups presented on a range of projects as part of the #YOUCHOOSE4 launch. Each project received funding through the previous round, #YOUCHOOSE3, and inspired and touched all present with stories of how projects that have made a real difference to the lives of people of all ages in Moray.

The first group to present were Moray Arts Development Engagement, a newly formed SCIO, who impressed with their creativity through the S.PIN project. This innovative project combined physical spinning and artistic printmaking activities, you can find out more about this and other great projects they’ve delivered locally through their website.

REAP presented on their Moray Grow Smart project, which took community gardening to kids in schools. Ann Davidson, REAP, shared that digital voting helped them as a Keith-based organisation with a Moray-wide remit to reach out to more people to gain more votes.

Moray Food Plus presented on two projects: one to one (and group) cooking sessions in partnership with Sacro; and the Nourish sessions, where Moray Food Plus worked with Moray Rape Crisis. This work helped individuals, groups and families, and informed the development of new services, and led to new ground being identified to start the Oakwood community garden.

Elidh Brown, project lead for #YOUCHOOSE4, said, ‘The launch went really well, it’s great to hear that PB is helping community organisations work with more people and partners, shape new services and gain the credible track record required to secure further funding.’

This year’s Be Healthy theme has broadened its horizons to include all 6 of Scotland’s National Health Priorities, whilst Connecting Communities draws on CHIME (Connections, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment) to refocus recovery in communities across Moray.

Following presentations by Moray Wellbeing Hub, Scottish Recovery Network, Scottish Community Development Centre (on Scotland’s PB Charter) and The Moray Council, the event was rounded off with a brief workshop activity where one group of participants fed back a sense of positivity, whilst another gave voice to uncertainty about the CHIME framework, and how that might be a barrier or off-putting for folk less familiar with it, or who feel it is being imposed.

This was answered through #YouChoose3 Young Champion project lead and Moray College UHI graduate, Becky, sharing her empowering experience of living CHIME values and how this inspired her to introduce more folk to the power of peer.

Groups can now apply by submitting their #YOUCHOOSE4 project idea directly online, without having to select criteria until they feel more comfortable about where their idea may fit.

#YOUCHOOSE4 is a collaboration between tsiMORAY, Moray Wellbeing Hub, Health and Social Care Moray, Moray Alcohol and Drugs Partnership and Scottish Recovery Network.