Local fundraising gathers pace.
The Save Castle Toward Estate community buy out group staged a series of fundraising events over the past few weeks to help raise extra money locally to support the community buy out of the estate. The team of fundraising volunteers were seen packing the bags of shoppers in Dunoon’s Co-Op store one Saturday. Whilst helping take the drudgery out of packing the weekly shop the community group got a chance to chat to residents in Dunoon about the proposed buy out. Chairman Alan Stewart said “I’m really heartened by the level of awareness amongst residents of our campaign to purchase the estate for the community, it was reassuring too to hear that people in Dunoon are supportive of our actions”
Bag packing wasn't the only event the community group had organised that weekend as on Sunday Innellan Village hall paid host to a book sale in aid of the community groups campaign. Local businesses and residents had donated literally hundreds of books for the sale and the local village hall was inundated with book fans and bargain hunters alike keen to snap up a bargain read whilst helping the Save Castle Toward Estate campaign. Local fundraiser Eleanor Stevenson, herself a veteran of many fund-raising book sales in Innellan, had organised the sale and was very pleased with the turn out. Eleanor said “It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, talking about Castle Toward and given people a bargain buy” One of items most sought after on the day was Eleanor’s home made Castle Toward postcards which completely sold out. “Local people have such a strong attachment to Castle Toward” she said “I’ll need to make more postcards now to keep up with demand” Although the fund raising event was held in the village hall in Innellan people had travelled from as far as Hunters Quay to visit the event with one couple making the journey from Greenock to find out more about the local groups campaign to buy the estate for the community. Between the two fundraising events the local community group raised £760. Alan Stewart said “I’d like to thank all the generous people of Cowal who gave monies over the weekend, not only did we raise some extra cash but we also added more members to our community group who after attending our fundraisers decided they too wanted to get involved”
The local community group then organised another fund-raising event in Innellan Village hall on Friday night (21st of March) the first of their Live Music nights, an Americana music night which was hailed as a huge success by all who attended. On the evening the music night raised a whopping £771 as well as raising the roof at Innellan Village hall.
The group now have a full of calendar of events throughout the next few months to raise some much needed extra funds in their campaign to Save Castle Toward Estate.
Watch our fundraisers in action by clicking this link here
