Welcome to our September Newsletter. We hope this finds you all safe and well after a week of unseasonal weather. September is a busy month for the Trust, as noted below our Annual Public Meeting will be held this month in Central Otago and all members of the public are most welcome to attend.

We are really pleased to see our funding clinics now back in full swing and our Grants Manager, Sue Stewart is enjoying the opportunity being out and about talking to many community groups about their projects.

Over the past couple of months, we have been pleased to support a diverse array of community projects, events and programmes. Our July grant round saw over $400,000 approved to support a wide range of community projects with several supporting upgrades to outdoor education and mountaineering facilities. It was particularly pleasing to support the redevelopment of the old Leaning Lodge hut structure on the Rock and Pillar range. The hut's redevelopment will provide a wonderful getaway for outdoor enthusiasts in what is a unique alpine environment.

The Teviot Valley area in particular benefitting from recent grant approvals in our August grant round with a $50,000 grant approved to the Teviot District Museum which will assist with the cost of the purchase and fitout of the Masonic Lodge building situated on the main street of Roxburgh. A $40,000 grant was also approved to Millers Flat School to assist with the much-needed construction of a new school playground, replacing the old playground, which is no longer fit-for-purpose.

Annual Report

Our 2021/22 Annual Report has now been released and we hope you will enjoy reading the different ways we have contributed to Otago communities over the last financial year. Trustees approved over $10.3m in grants for the year ending 31 March 2022, supporting 386 community groups around Otago.

Annual Public Meeting

Please make a note in your calendar that our Annual Public Meeting will now be held on Tuesday 27th of September 2022, 4.00pm at The Cellar Door, Alexandra.

Please note that due to the Government's announcement that there will be a one-off public holiday on September 26 to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Otago Community Trust has rescheduled its Annual Public Meeting. We do apologise for the inconvenience and any confusion caused around earlier correspondence.

Contact Information

A friendly reminder to our grantees to keep contact information up to date in Fluxx, our online portal. Our grants team may have to contact you in relation to a funding application or an accountability report, therefore having the correct mobile, landline or email details is vitally important.

It is with sadness we acknowledge the passing of long serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen’s service to the Commonwealth over the past 70 years is remarkable and her death marks the end of an era. Her courage, commitment and selfless dedication to duty has certainty been an inspiration to all. 

I trust you enjoy reading this newsletter and we hope to see many of you at the Annual Public Meeting in Alexandra at the end of the month.

As always should you have any questions regarding funding, please feel free to contact me or any member of the Trust team, we are always happy to help.

Ngā mihi

Barbara Bridger, CE