Forres Area Community Trust
Want some free help to start building your digital skills?
Learn my Way & Make It Click are developed by the team at Good Things Foundation who have a network of UK Online Centres.
Did you know Forres Online is part of the UK Online Centre Network and can offer advice & support about what you want to learn and the help you may need!
Get in touch now by calling 01309 674388 or email janice@forresarea.org
Connecting Scotland is a Scottish Government programme set up in response to Coronavirus. It is a partnership with the Scottish Government, Local Councils, and SCVO. It is also supported by a range of other organisations from around Scotland and the UK.
Getting online will help people access the support and services they need. As well as helping them to keep in touch with friends & family. In order to help get people online they are supplying Ipads, Chromebooks and Internet Dongles along with help and support people to develop digital skills. They are mainly targeting those that are:
Forres Online via Moray Council has been allocated a number of devices/connectivity and will be providing ongoing support. If you know of someone who falls into the category above and would benefit from this programme, then please get in touch with Janice Cooper Forres Online Project Coordinator 01309 674388 or email janice@forresarea.org
Congratulations to Debbie Herron on being chosen as Forres Rotary’s Citizen of the Year.
Debbie is the lead development officer with Forres Area Community Trust (FACT). Among other ventures they have taken over the responsibility for running the Town Hall.
We are sure you will agree that Debbie is a very worthy winner as she has done so much for Forres in a very unassuming way.
A big thank you to Kathleen McGookin and her colleagues from Johnston’s of Elgin for a huge donation to Moray Food plus.
Kathleen & friends made face masks and asked for donations. The cash generated has turned into this massive food donation!
Well done to everyone involved!
Forres Local have compiled a list of useful information about how COVID19 is effecting Forres and the surrounding area. They have info such as:
Visit: forreslocal.com
Following on from an intensive briefing day last Friday we hope to have the volunteer telephone befriending programme up and running by Friday this week. We can help with signposting to services that can help you if you are in need. This is a work in progress and will develop over the coming weeks as we understand the impact of the pandemic on our community.
Please keep in touch through social media or by calling us on 01309 674 388 and leaving a message. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
To see the latest information about what shops are closed, open and are doing free delivery, go to www.forreslocal.com/coronavirus/business
Following on from the current advice given by the Scottish Government and NHS, Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) have reviewed how we can respond to the current Coronavirus situation.
The FACT team still remain open for business but our approach is changing.
You may find the following information useful.
We are still here and happy to help however we can under the current climate.
For more information:
Following its acquisition of Forres Town Hall from Moray Council via a Community Asset Transfer and with grant support from the Scottish Land Fund, Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) is seeking a Project Officer to work on the development of Stage 1 of the £2 – £3m Town Hall Regeneration Project. This will secure the future of this significant Category B Listed Building as a multi-purpose hub for the local community.
The appointment of the Project Officer will be from April 2020 until the end of March 2021, during which time the project will be developed up to Planning Permission / Listed Building Consent stage. The role will involve 30 hours per week at a salary of £20,826 per annum.
For more information view the attached Job Description & Application Form.
A bid to buy Forres Town Hall and turn it into a venue for community, business and training events has been successful in the latest round of grant applications to the Scottish Land Fund.
Forres Area Community Trust has been awarded £116,365 to purchase the hall, which has been a feature of the town’s High Street since 1829, in order to provide community facilities, meeting rooms, study and workshop areas, training facilities and co-working hot desks.
Debbie Herron, Development Manager Forres Area Community Trust, said:
“We are delighted at the news that Forres Area Community Trust has been awarded the SLF funding to buy Forres Town Hall on behalf of the community. This endorsement of our work means that we can continue to work to support the development and resilience of our community into the future.”
Securing the Town Hall into community ownership and having the support of the Scottish Land Fund is the first step in redeveloping and refurbishing the building for the benefit of the community.
Fabio Villani Chair of Forres Area Community Trust said:
“The Scottish Land Fund’s generous support enables us to purchase Forres Town Hall as well as to further develop our plans for its future. It marks an important milestone in the history of Forres, as one more key element of the town’s heritage is fully returned to the direct care of the local community. It also marks an important milestone in the development of FACT as a key organisation in helping the people of Forres make the most of the Town’s many assets. ”
If anyone would like any further information, please do get in touch on 01309 674388, info@forresarea.org or pop into the office between 10am and 1pm through the week.
