Whisky Focus - GlenWyvis Distillery Distributes Second Round Of Community Grants

Dingwall Museum, several schools, and a Women’s Aid group are among the community organisations benefiting from the second round of grants awarded by GlenWyvis, the world's first fully community-owned distillery.

A total of £20,000 has been distributed to fourteen community organisations in Dingwall and Ross-shire, bringing the total funds awarded so far to £30,000.

Established in 2015, GlenWyvis was created to unite the Dingwall community around a locally-owned distillery, making it a pioneering initiative globally.

David McIntyre, Chair of GlenWyvis, said "This is what GlenWyvs is all about: the Goodwill Fund. We are trying to generate as much as we can to help folks in our community and make a positive impact on people’s lives in Dingwall and beyond. We have allocated grants to educational and cultural initiatives, as well as to local entrepreneurs to help their businesses grow. It was really difficult to distinguish between all of the projects who applied for this funding round because each of them had merit but GlenWyvis will continue to generate income for the local community so I would urge those who missed out to reapply again in future."

Alison Petch of Culbokie Community Trust which received £1,558 to help with the purchase of equipment for their Black Isle Food Festival said, "Once we read in the local paper about the GlenWyvis Goodwill Fund, it seemed like a tremendous opportunity. We felt that we were very much supporting local businesses which was the category we entered - the Entrepreneurial category. We’re just enormously grateful."

Torquil MacLean Dingwall Gaelic Choir, which received £1,500 to support their 70th anniversary concert added, "Small groups like ours struggle to get funding so something like this, coming from a local business, is so much appreciated. We used the money to pay artists to come and perform at our concert, all the money was spent very wisely on that."

Distillery Director and Head of the GoodWill Fund, Dr Jock Ramsay said, "These awards are supporting local children’s educational needs, helping cultural and heritage organisations, and investing in the growth of local businesses in the area. There has been a lot of competition for the Fund and many excellent applications, with three times as many applications as there were funds available. This has made decision-making challenging and led to a lot of hard work in the background. Our congratulations go to the recipients.

"The Board and our 3,500 Members see the Goodwill Fund as a priority, alongside making excellent gin and whisky. We have raised a total of £50K for the Goodwill Fund and an 13th May 2024 additional £9K for Cornerstone, a Scottish charity caring for people with additional needs in their own homes."

Last year, GlenWyvis received the Highland Business Award for Community Engagement. The distillery, located near Dingwall, recently announced a second share offering, aiming to raise £2 million to boost production, enhance tourism, and generate additional community funding. Currently, GlenWyvis has 3,625 shareholders: 28% are local to the distillery, 44% reside in the rest of Scotland, 16% are from other parts of the UK, and the remaining 12% are spread across 36 countries worldwide.

The full list of grant recipients is as follows:

Cultural

• NOSAS North of Scotland Archaeology Society £1,000 for the restoration and digitising of an early map of Ord Estate.Dingwall Museum £1,600 for technological improvements including computing and a hearing loop to improve accessibility
   
• Strathpeffer Community Development Trust £2,050 To improve the access to the Eagle Stone and provide information for visitors.
   
• Dingwall Gaelic Choir £1,500 to support their 70th anniversary fundraising concert which was on the 15th of March
   
• DCDC Dingwall Community Development Company £2,500 to help towards the opening of the MacDonald Monument and the training of volunteer guides.

• Dingwall Primary School £400 Contribution towards resources for a lunch club initiated by a pupil for children with stress and anxiety.
   
• Culbokie Primary School £400 towards equipment for outdoor learning experiences.
   
• Dingwall Ducklings Nursery £400 towards equipment for children with additional sensory needs
   
• Ross-Shire Women's Aid £400 towards creating a child friendly space for group sessions for women children and young people with experience of domestic abuse.
   
• Mulbuie Primary School £270 for specialised fitness equipment
   
• Saint Clement's School £400 towards refurbishment of their 'Sensory Room'

• Dingwall Community Council £2,500 towards the upgrading and maintenance of a mobile performance stage.
   
• Strathpeffer Community Development Trust £5,000 to cover short term setup staff costs for an ethical, not-for-profit community shop
   
• Culbokie Community Trust £1,558 towards marquee, hall hire and signage for their Black Isle Food Festival 2024 fundraising event.

For more info on investing visit the GlenWyvis distillery website.

You will find GlenWyvis whisky available from specialist online whisky shops such as The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt
 

• UK Shops
   
• USA Shops
   
• European Shops

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