Moniaive Initiative are pleased to announce that their first Community Affordable Housing Project has been shortlisted for an award in the “Best Long-Term Empty Homes Restoration Project” category of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership Annual Awards Ceremony, on 2^nd February 2021.  We are the only community-led project shortlisted.

Moniaive Initiative purchased 12 Sawmill Green in 2019, after five years of preliminary work to identify local housing need and investigate potential development.  They received a grant from the Scottish Government Rural Housing Fund to purchase the building, which had stood empty and declining in the centre of their village for several years.  Further grants from SSE Renewables enabled them to renovate the property to make it fully accessible and suitable for an older or less able member of the community.  Work was seriously delayed by the Covid19 pandemic; but thanks to the dedication of the team, including their local main contractor J&W Vernon Ltd, the renovation was eventually completed in August 2020, and the first tenant moved in just days later.

Moniaive Initiative was supported through the process by South of Scotland Community Housing (formerly DGSCHT), whose Chief Executive, Mike Staples, said: “An amazing job has been done of transforming the property into a bright, welcoming home, and we’re incredibly pleased with the overall outcome.”

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There has been a record number of empty homes brought back into use over the past year and the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership is excited about honouring those who have worked so hard to make it happen.

Kevin Stewart, housing minister, said: “It is very encouraging that in the midst of a pandemic, we have seen continued hard work and dedication of people and organisations to tackle the issue of empty homes. These properties can be a blight on communities which is why the Scottish Government has invested £400,000 each year to support the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership.

“We greatly appreciate all of the effort that has gone into bringing empty homes back into use over the past year. Good luck and congratulations to all of the deserving finalists.”

The Hive is currently closed again due to tightened Covid restrictions. So we would like to use this period to gather some feedback on what we’ve done with the building to date, to help us shape our plans for the future. Whether you donate to or buy from the Hive, use the Library, attend meetings there, sell your crafts through the Hive, or volunteer with us – we want to know what you think. It’s a 10 question, multiple-choice survey, which should take less than 5 minutes to complete, and it’s completely anonymous. Just click on the link below to begin the survey (opens in a new tab). Thanks!

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JQPYM8W?fbclid=IwAR1sxMGW1Ti5hmiUbhsUDDIcPaxjkTdhLWNmGcPr2Gqzp13Dx4lHWO2PmPs

Hive Business Development Contracts

Please Note: due to low applications, the deadline for these contracts has been extended

• 2 x Short-term contracts, up to 3 months
  • Home based, with some work in Moniaive
  • Flexible hours
  • Budget of £2,000 per contract
  • Immediate start

JOB SUMMARY

Moniaive Initiative is offering two, short-term contracts to help us deliver the next stage of our Community Shop & Hub project, with a focus on increasing the resilience and long-term sustainability of The Hive. 

Contract 1 will complete an Operational Review of The Hive, including updates to the Business Plan and investigation of options for new service provision and income streams. This contract will culminate in the presentation of a revised Business Plan for future business development. Candidates for this contract will require proven project finance skills, good computer skills and a sound understanding of community business and charity organization. 

Contract 2 will complete a Buildings Audit and create an Action Plan for building improvement works.  This post will project manage the ongoing programme of essential building repairs and will be responsible for coordinating volunteer workparties. Candidates for this contract will require project management experience and sound computer skills.

Candidates for both contracts will be required to liaise with the Moniaive Initiative Project Officers, and to report progress to the Moniaive Initiative Board of Trustees regularly during the contract period. 

We will consider offering both contracts to one candidate.

Deadline for return of applications – 5pm Friday 15th January 2021

Digital Interviews will be held in week commencing 18^th January 2021

CONTRACT 1 – JOB SPECIFICATION

Requirements of the contract are:

• Use data from the first year of operation to update the existing Business Plan for The Hive
• Use data from the first year of operation to carry out an Operational Review of the business
• Investigate options for new income streams to support the resilience of the Hive
• Investigate options for new service provision to widen the use of the Hive and to support wider community resilience
• Present the Operational Review and the revised Business Plan to the Board of Trustees at the end of the contract

CONTRACT 2 – JOB SPECIFICATION

Requirements of the contract are:

• Carry out a full review of the current condition of the building
• Create a Building Action Plan, outlining essential and short-term improvements required
• Arrange and project manage implementation of essential building repairs / improvements
• Coordinate volunteer work-parties to carry out some works
• Draft ideas for mid to long term improvements
• Investigate funding options for improvement works
• Present the Building Action Plan, plus your ideas for future improvements, to the Board of Trustees at the end of the contract

Please email your CV and covering letter to deb.moniaiveinitiative@gmail.com by 5pm Friday 15th January 2021.

Just under a year ago Moniaive Initiative were asked to support Glencairn Community Council as they worked with local resident Peter Charlesworth on a project to install the first electric car charging points in Moniaive.  We are happy to say that the new electric Car Charging post in the village Car Park at the foot of Dunreggan Brae is now installed and operational. The post, owned and operated by Dumfries & Galloway Council, provides two 22kW chargers and two parking bays and is part of the Charge Place Scotland network. The bulk of the funding came from the UK Government’s On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, with the balance coming from the Department of Transport for Scotland. The two new chargers can deliver enough power to add up to 90 miles of range for every hour the car is plugged in and are ideal for overnight charging and short stays in the village. 

With the transition to electric vehicles now brought forward, work must accelerate on getting the right infrastructure in place to encourage take-up of the new technology.  Where residents do not have access to off-road or dedicated kerbside parking (as is the case for many householders in Moniaive), suitable charging provision will be required through public charging networks. There are over 1,000 charging points in the Charge Place Scotland network (and over 35,000 across the UK), with chargers available across Dumfries and Galloway, including at Dalry, Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Dalmellington, Newton Stewart, Stranraer, Gretna and Sanquhar. Some local businesses also provide electric charging points.  The Charge Place Scotland website and App includes a map of chargers throughout Scotland.

The new chargers in Moniaive are compatible with all electric cars and plug in hybrid cars currently on the market. To use them, you will need your own charging cable with a Type2 connector (the most common type) and a subscription to Charge Place Scotland (£20 per annum).  Simply plug your cable into your car at one end and the charger at the other, hold your membership card up to the charge post and charging will start; just hold your card up again to stop charging. Although many of the chargers throughout Scotland are free to use, our charging points cost 25p per kWh (with a minimum charge of £1.50).  These charges are levied by D&G Council to cover the cost of electricity and charge point maintenance.  At the equivalent of about 6p per mile, this is still much cheaper than petrol or diesel, but will still be more expensive than charging at home.  Just remember to move your car promptly when you have finished charging, to allow others to use the facilities!

   

Moniaive Initiative are pleased to announce the completion of 12 Sawmill Green, Moniaive, our first Affordable Housing project.  Moniaive Initiative Treasurer, John Murray, said: “We used a Rural Housing Fund grant from Scottish Government to purchase a building which had stood empty within our community for some years.  We then secured a generous grant from SSE Dumfries & Galloway Sustainable Development Fund to renovate the interior of the house to make it fully accessible and bring it up to date.”

Moniaive Initiative have been working on the project with Dumfries & Galloway Small Communities Housing Trust since 2015.  They carried out community consultation on local need for affordable housing, then followed up with feasibility work, concept design and then fundraising.  The building was purchased in July 2019, and renovation work began at the end of 2019.  The house interior was stripped right back to create a new internal layout, including a second bedroom, and allowing the installation of accessible, open plan kitchen area and wet-room style bathroom.

“We were just days away from completing the renovation when Lockdown came into force and work had to stop on site,” said Moniaive Initiative Chairman, Bill McLarty.  “We had already selected our first tenant, but fortunately she was able to delay her move.”

New tenant, Mrs Edwards, said: “I love my new home, it’s perfect for me and I am so lucky to have it. Having my family around me is wonderful and returning to Moniaive feels like I have come home.”

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Moniaive Initiative and a lot of hard work has gone into making their first community-led project a reality,” said Mike Staples, Chief Executive of DGSCHT.  “An amazing job has been done of transforming the property into a bright, welcoming home and we’re incredibly pleased with the overall outcome.”

Mr McLarty added: “We are very pleased to welcome Mrs Edwards back to the village and wish her every happiness in her new home.”

For the duration of the current Covid-19 situation Moniaive initiative will be offering small sections of work to locals whose normal work has been affected by the lockdown.   This will all be home-based, computer work, and will be broken down into fixed contracts of 7 or 14 hours, to be paid at a flat rate of £9/hr.

We are looking for individuals, resident in Glencairn, with a good knowledge / experience of various aspects of life in Glencairn, including local business, organisations, facilities and service provision, and with good general computer skills.   You will be assigned items to research and write up for a Baseline Report we are preparing.  You will need your own computer, internet access, and MS WORD and/or EXCEL. We also have some business / financial analysis sections, which will require good numeracy and spreadsheet skills.  All work will be sent out / returned by email.  We will match individuals to work elements according to skills and experience, but you can apply for multiple sections of work.

Payment will be made directly into your bank account, upon satisfactory completion of each section.  You will be responsible for your own Tax/NI, and for checking that this work will not impact on any other financial assistance you may need to apply for.

If you are interested in taking part, please email deb.moniaiveinitiative@gmail.com in the first instance, giving a brief outline of your skills and experience.  We will give priority to those who have lost their main source of income due to Covid-19. Your application will be handled in strictest confidence.

Dear residents of Glencairn,

With much consideration by managers, staff and the management committee, it has been decided that in the interests of personal and community health, the Hive is to close as a retail outlet for the foreseeable future, whilst the social distancing advice from the government is in effect. Our last day of trading will be on Friday 20th March. We would like to thank our wonderful volunteers who have continued to offer their valuable time during this difficult period. This decision has not been taken lightly, and we realise that whilst the Hive offers a valuable community hub service, it does not offer an essential service in the products it sells. We feel that volunteers who are able and willing will be able to offer their services to the community in a more useful capacity in the future, whilst staying safe in the short-term. We will be helping co-ordinate any volunteer services needed by the community and resilience group. We thank you for your understanding and support and hope you all stay well. We are a wonderful community that has great capacity for kindness and generosity of spirit and we will come through this, hopefully stronger and more caring than ever.

The Hive Managers, Staff and Management Committee

Moniaive Initiative are recruiting a new Hive Development Officer to deliver the next stage of our community shop and hub project:

• Fixed Term (52 weeks)
• 14 hours per week
• £9 per hour
• Based at home / in The Hive, Moniaive

The successful candidate will have relevant experience in business development and financial management; experience of working with community groups; excellent computer skills; meticulous attention to detail; organisational, communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrate good teamwork.

You will be expected to lead the development of The Hive, both building and business development, with a focus on increasing the resilience and long-term sustainability of the project.  You will update the existing Business Plan, carry out an Operational Review and Building Audit, and create an Action Plan for short and mid-term business development and building improvement works. You will be responsible for investigating and implementing new income streams and service provision options. Finally, you will investigate options for raising the necessary funds to carry out building improvement works.

A full job description can be found here:

Job spec_Hive Dev Officer_Mar20

Please email your cv and covering letter to:

deb.moniaiveinitiative@gmail.com by 5pm on 23/03/20.