Otago Community Trust have funded over $500,000 in support of a wide range of community projects in its August funding round, with the Teviot Valley area in particular benefitting from recent grant approvals.

A $50,000 grant was approved to the Teviot District Museum which will assist with the cost of the purchase and fitout of the Masonic Lodge building situated on the main street of Roxburgh. The Masonic Lodge building will become an integral part of showcasing the Teviot Districts historic collections.

Teviot District Museum secretary Barbara Fraser said thanks to the $50,000 grant from Otago Community Trust, an earlier $80,000 grant from Central Lakes Trust and a $25,000 from grant from the Alexander McMillan Trust we are now well within reach of our funding target.

"The current museum, a small stone building, tucked away on Abbotsford St, has had difficulty functioning effectively in terms of developing and promoting collections and activities”

"It is full to overflowing and has no running water or toilets, it has been difficult for volunteers to effectively work in the museum or to have the doors open to the public for any great length of time.”

Otago Community Trust chair Diccon Sim noted that Otago Community Trust is very pleased to be supporting this important heritage project for the Teviot community.

“We expect the people of the Teviot Valley area to be delighted to have their local museum collections on the main street of Roxburgh and in a building better suited for research, display and promotion”, said Sim.

Otago Community Trust was also pleased to award a $40,000 grant to Millers Flat School to assist with the much-needed construction of a new school playground, replacing the old playground, which is no longer fit-for-purpose as it does not meet today’s health and safety standards.

Millers Flat School principal Hilary Spedding said the small rural school community is very excited about the prospect of a new playground and very grateful for all the wonderful community grants that will enable this to be developed for the school.

In other grants, Pacific Trust Otago received a $6,913 grant to assist with the cost of holding a Pasifika youth focused careers event - ‘Pasifika Navigators of Tomorrow’.

Otago Community Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger said the careers event will engage and broaden the awareness of what opportunities are available in employment, study, and vocational training areas.

“It is hoped that youth attending Pasifika Navigators of Tomorrow will be inspired by the range of opportunities showcased at the event.”

The Pasifika Navigators of Tomorrow careers event is a collaboration between Pacific Trust Otago,Business Southand Connected - the all-of-government service led by the Ministry of Social Development.

Other organisations benefiting from community grants in August include Mt Aspiring College who were awarded a $40,000 grant to support the College’s art facility development. Otago Hockey were approved a $14,300 grant to assist with the cost of hosting the National Hockey Championships in Dunedin from 11 to 17 September 2022, and a $8,000 grant was approved to Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust to help with the cost of launching the Hone Tuwhare Artists' and Creatives' Residency at Kaka Point over Labour Weekend.

In total Otago Community Trust approved $506,412 to 26 organisations in August 2022.

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