Some background information
What we do
Pentland Community Chest (PCC) is a small grant scheme operated jointly by The Rotary Club of Currie Balerno and Balerno Village Trust with funds contributed by both organisations. Since we came into being, we have awarded grants twice a year, generally at the end of May and again at the end of November, funding a range of projects in the local community.
A short history
In 2016 The Rotary Club of Currie Balerno established the Community Chest, a scheme by which the club could give grants to local organisations and in 2017 Balerno Village Trust decided to establish a scheme that would allow some of the surplus from Harlaw Hydro to be used to provide small grants to local organisations. Rather than establish and administer duplicate schemes The Rotary Club of Currie Balerno and Balerno Village Trust signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017 agreeing to work together to administer the Community Chest.
In 2023, it was agreed that the Community Chest would become the Pentland Community Chest (PCC), a name change implemented to reflect the geographical area of benefit of the fund which is primarily the combined catchment areas of Balerno and Currie High Schools, although this is subject to the discretion of the trustees.
How we’re administered
The scheme is administrated by six trustees, three from Balerno Village Trust and three from The Rotary Club of Currie Balerno, with the role of chair alternating between the two organisations on a regular basis.
How to apply for funding
Applications for funding are made via a dedicated form which you can download from the application section of this website. Guidance on eligibility is provided in the form, along with information on how to submit the form and we have provided additional guidance on this site.
The Current Trustees
Don MacLeod
Rotary Representative
Don is a retired dentist and member of Rotary. He joined the PCC in 2021
Sue McLeod
BVT Representative and Chair
Sue has been a member of the PCC since 2017 and she designed and maintains the website. She is a retired Environmental Consultant.
Andrew Clark
Rotary Representative
Andrew is a member of Rotary, a director of Harlaw Hydro, and set up the original Community Chest relationship with Balerno Village Trust.
Roy Stirrat
Rotary Representative
Roy is now retired from business, is a longstanding member of Currie Balerno Rotary Club and was involved in the original establishment of the PCC. He is a former chair.
Martin Petty
BVT Representative
Martin is a founding director of Harlaw Hydro, and set up the original Community Chest relationship with Balerno Village Trust when he was a Director of Balerno Village Trust. He is a former chair.
Andrea Brewster
BVT Representative
Andrea has been a trustee since 2017 and enjoys seeing projects thrive as a result of PCC funding. She works part-time as a pharmacist and part-time as a pastoral worker for St Mungo’s Church.