Spirit of Caithness: A Fourteen Community
Questions and Answers
What is Fourteen and where is it happening?
Fourteen is part of Spirit of 2012’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games legacy programme;
instigated by Spirit’s investment in the Glasgow 2014 XX Commonwealth Games and its
legacy around the UK. 14 communities across the UK have been identified as Fourteen
communities that will each receive a resource budget of up to £250,000 over three years to
invest in activity that local people themselves believe will make a difference to well-being
and happiness within their community. Fourteen will operate from January 2015 through to
December 2017. Six of the communities are in Scotland and one of them is Caithness.
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The programme is being run by the national grant making charity Foundation Scotland on
behalf of the Spirit of 2012 Trust, with local member of staff, Eilidh Gunn offering support
from a base in Thurso and Wick.
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How will the funds be distributed?
In different ways over the course of the programme - for example through specific grant
making programmes that groups can apply to, through commissioning particular activity or
projects or at special Fourteen events. Other ideas may also get tried. To celebrate this
programme coming to Caithness, Fourteen is launching On Your Marks!
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Tell me more about On Your Marks!
On Your Marks is Fourteen’s way of celebrating this resource budget coming to Caithness!
Grants of £250 - £1000 are available. It is Fourteen’s first open grant-making programme
and is open for a short period of time – until 30th September. You are eligible to apply if you
are a community organisation keen to run a project or activity within approximately the next
four months that is in keeping with the spirit of Fourteen.
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What does the Spirit of Fourteen mean?
In Caithness, the Spirit of Fourteen encompasses the following ideas:
Passing the baton!
Fourteen has four main outcomes - or differences that it hopes to contribute to. These are:
• Improving individual well-being;
• Improving perceptions towards disability and impairment;
• Overcoming isolation;
• Connecting people within communities
Fourteen hopes to achieve this kind of impact through focusing on four priority areas:
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Social action and volunteering;
Grass roots sport and physical activity;
Cultural activity and arts.
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Youth Leadership and personal development
So do make sure your project fits with one or more of these outcomes and one or more of
the priorities.
Nurturing the ideas and aspirations of local people
Fourteen will support and promote local people to share and celebrate their skills,
experience and knowledge and demonstrate their energy and commitment to lead change
and development in their communities. It will do this by providing opportunities for people
to share ideas, be heard and take action to make a difference to their community. Fourteen
is particularly keen to build capacity and opportunities for young people.
Everyone is welcome!
By encouraging and building friendships, connections and collaboration, Fourteen wants to
build links and partnerships between individuals and groups that will open new
conversations and possibilities.
So please think about how your project can be widened to include others either as
volunteers or participants. Fourteen would really like to see if any of the work it supports
can encourage greater participation in community activity by those with disabilities or
increasing connection and understanding between different generations. For example young
people could be introduced to bowling, golf, fishing, quilting, painting or pottery by older
members of the community who have years of experience and a passion for these pursuits.
The principal of match funding
We ask that in addition to the Fourteen grant, the group provides as little or as much
as it can afford to help ensure the project is a really positive experience for everyone. In
addition Fourteen could perhaps match fund a project someone is already working on and
has already secured match funding for from another source.
What type of costs will a Fourteen grant cover?
Fourteen can support a wide range of costs and activities including running costs for local
groups, transport, volunteer staff or sessional worker costs/expenses, equipment hire and let
costs. Fourteen cannot generally support capital costs. Fourteen funds cannot replace old
equipment and can only support the cost of new equipment where this ensures that more
people can participate in the activity or project.
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Who decides where the money goes?
A Panel of local people has been established to oversee the distribution of the Fourteen
resource budget which will be informed by ideas and aspiration of community groups and
local people. Over time this Panel will change so we will always need a pool of community
members interest in volunteering for Fourteen.