TWO Musselburgh sports clubs are to receive nearly £60,000 from the town’s Common Good Fund.
Musselburgh Rugby Football Club will get £50,000 and Musselburgh Athletic Football Club has been awarded £9,300.
The cash aid was approved by councillors under East Lothian Council’s emergency recess arrangements, which were invoked in March as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rugby club will use its grant for the extension of the clubhouse at Stoneyhill Farm Road and to provide new equipment and changing facilities, the funding conditional on the new facilities being made available for use by other community groups and clubs, and securing additional external funding.
Musselburgh Athletic is planning to put its cash award towards the installation of a public address and CCTV system to ensure the wellbeing and safety of users of Olivebank Stadium.
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Under recess arrangements, council group leaders have approved these applications from Musselburgh Rugby Football Club and Musselburgh Athletic Football Club.
“Funding will support the expansion and improvement of local facilities in Musselburgh.”
Drew Johnston, president of Musselburgh RFC, said: “This is great news.
“As a club competing at a high level and keen to retain local rugby talent, we feel it is critical the club has modern strength and conditioning facilities in place. We are also very keen to upgrade our changing facilities.
“We would also like to make facilities open to members of other clubs and organisations. This award provides the first element of the funding we require. We are pursuing other funding sources in order to bring this project to reality.”
Karl Cleghorn, president of Musselburgh Athletic Football Club, added: “We are delighted and very grateful for this award.
“This will be a big boost for the football club throughout the regular season of matches and also for the wider community of Musselburgh. I expect it will be possible for our facility to be used a lot more by the community in future.”
Common Good Funds in Scotland originated in the 15th century and are the assets and income of some former burghs. They represent a substantial portfolio of land, property and investments and, by law, continue to exist for the common good of the inhabitants of the former burghs.
East Lothian Council administers the assets of the Common Good Fund and the committee, which makes decisions on grants, consists of the town’s four councillors Stuart Currie, Andy Forrest, Katie Mackie and John Williamson.
Common Good committees have the authority to award grants of up to £10,000 and make recommendations to the council on applications of more than £10,000.
As a decision on the application by Musselburgh Athletic needed to be made before the next meeting of the committee, it was brought forward for consideration under the council’s Covid-19 emergency recess arrangements. All scheduled committee meetings are currently cancelled until further notice.
As the council remains in full recess, a decision on the application by the rugby club was also taken.
The three political group leaders (or their deputes), along with the relevant cabinet spokesperson (or their depute), deal in their discretion with necessary council business presented to them by consideration by the chief executive or authorised officers.
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