Luggate Hall gains additional funding boost

7 Aug 2020

Media Release

The small Upper Clutha community of Luggate are celebrating once again after learning that further funding had been secured for the new Luggate community centre, replacing the former mud-brick Luggate Memorial Hall.

In its latest funding round, Otago Community Trust awarded a $400,000 grant to the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which will assist with the cost of building the new community centre.

Queenstown Lakes District Council general manager community services, Thunes Cloete said it is another significant funding contribution for the Luggate community, with Central Lakes Trust already contributing $750,000.

“Once completed, the new hall will be the first passive house certified community centre in New Zealand. This will be a tremendous asset for the local community and will ensure that the long‐term needs of the district are being meet,” said Otago Community Trust chair John Wilson.

The Luggate Memorial Hall was built in 1954 but it was permanently closed in 2017 when seismic and engineering assessments found it was earthquake-prone leaving Luggate without a permanent community facility.

Carisbrook School received a $58,700 grant which will assist the school with investing in STEAM and digital equipment. 

Otago Community Trust chief executive, Barbara Bridger said the trust is very pleased to be providingCarisbrook School funding support to ensure students and families have access to technology that will strengthen teaching and learning programmes.

“Carisbrook have previously been part of the Ministry funded ‘Computers in Homes’ programme which unfortunately has now been discontinued. Therefore, supporting the school to invest directly in digital equipment ensures pupils are still advancing and developing their digital knowledge” Ms Bridger said.

A $22,000 grant was also awarded to the Hollyford Conservation Trust for the next phase of the Lower Hollyford ecological restoration project.  This project aims to protect and enhance rare, endangered or threatened native bird species in the Lower Hollyford Valley. It is the third grant Otago Community Trust has awarded to the Hollyford Conservation Trust in recent years to support the development of this unique ‘biodiversity hotspot’ unparalleled in New Zealand.

Other organisations benefiting from grants in June include the Otago Medical Research Foundation who were awarded their annual $80,000 grant to support innovative, early stage medical research in Otago.Plastic Bag Free Wanaka were awarded a $3,000 grant to assist with the cost of delivering a small musical to primary schools in Otago focused on waste conservation, biodiversity and waste management.  Roslyn Wakari Association Football Club received a $3,000 grant to invest in new training equipment and match balls.

The Otago Community Trust gave a total of $626,277 to 16 community organisations in July 2020.

 

Otago Community Trust Community Grants, July 2020

Alexandra

Dunstan Equestrian Centre

$5,000

Dunedin

Carisbrook School

$58,700

 

WOW! Productions Trust

$10,000

 

Andersons Bay School

$5,000

 

Saturday Morning Music Classes (Dunedin) Soc Inc

$5,000

 

Roslyn Wakari Association Football Club Inc

$3,000

 

Servants Health Centre Trust

$5,000

 

Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua Community Inc

$5,777

 

NZ Salmon Anglers Assn Otago Branch

$5,000

 

Otago Medical Research Foundation

$80,000

Otago

NZ Special Olympics Lower South Island Regional Council

$5,000

 

Hollyford Conservation Trust

$22,000

 

Otago Polytechnic - Dunedin School of Art

$800

Wanaka

Plastic Bag Free Wanaka Ltd

$3,000

 

Winter Games NZ Trust

$13,000

 

Queenstown Lakes District Council - Luggate Hall

$400,000