Live Life Aberdeenshire funds £250,000 for communities
Aberdeenshire Council’s sport, leisure, and cultural service Live Life Aberdeenshire (LLA) has funded more than £250,000 for community activities and venues over the past year.
A report before the authority’s Communities Committee outlined that just over £260,000 was awarded during 2025/26, including £90,000 in Positive Action Grants, £75,000 towards the operation of Duff House in Banff, and £90,000 to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.
Now in its third year, the service’s ‘Positive Action Grant’ scheme saw a wide range of activities delivered by charity group North East Arts Touring to communities with less direct access to LLA facilities and services.
Focusing on the Tarves, Barthol Chapel, Fyvie, Rothienorman, and Turriff communities, the funding supported 55 events, ranging from skills development training to residencies in dance, photography, and creative writing.
The funding also enabled local organised events and community-led initiatives, such as family film screenings and concerts. Together, the activities reached 1,166 residents, including volunteers.
LLA also repeated its Sport For Change programme last year, with funding supporting bids from sports clubs, community organisations, and national groups to deliver projects across Aberdeenshire.
Just over 800 participants took part in 900 hours of activity over 218 sessions, delivered by 42 volunteers. Training was also delivered to allow community clubs to continue delivering activities themselves.
Aberdeenshire ClubSport funding supported 33 local clubs with new equipment, coaching taster sessions and community activities, with a particular focus on under-represented groups and creating more inclusive opportunities for children, young people and adults.
The partnership funding to Historic Environment Scotland for Duff House supported a Many Lives of Duff House project, alongside building improvements for flood prevention and repurposing spaces for community use and events.
The funding for the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, meanwhile, helped support Doors Open Day activities that drew almost 400 visitors, and work on a new gallery to display the museum’s collection of lenses.
Welcoming the update, the committee noted LLA’s intention to develop multi-year funding agreements to allow partners to deliver activities across the full year and approved the continuation of grant funding across 2026/27.
Communities Committee vice-chair Cllr Sarah Brown said: “It’s pleasing to see the reach of these targeted activities and the lasting opportunities they are creating.
“There has been a real focus on activity that is community led, with many of the projects now embedded for continued delivery by community groups. We look forward to the further opportunities that this year’s programme will deliver.”