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The Pultenenytown People's Project (PPP) has been given a funding boost with a financial package from Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) towards the cost of employing two staff.

CASE has awarded the organisation a grant totalling �66,163, which includes over �33,000 from the European-funded Community Economic Development (CED) programme.  CED is a partnership initiative that seeks to target funds for sustainable development activities undertaken by communities most in need of support.  In addition to backing from CASE, support has also come from The Highland Council.

The overall aim of the CED programme is to assist fragile communities in the region to enhance and develop community capacity through the generation of sustainable and economic opportunities.  A wide range of projects and actions are supported under the programme, with the aim of: encouraging communities to take an active management role in their own future; increasing enterprise and entrepreneurship in local communities, and increasing the value of environmental, cultural and built heritage resources.

Now working for the PPP is Katrina MacNab, who has taken up the post of regeneration manager and Yvonne Henry, the group's funding finance manager.  Their duties will include the overall management of the Pulteneytown regeneration project; recruitment, training and support of volunteers; consulting with residents regarding project activity and helping to deal with public enquiries about the project.

Welcoming Katrina and Yvonne onboard, PPP chairman David Dunnet said: "The financial injection from CASE and CED has been welcomed by the PPP committee.  It has allowed us to employ staff to deal with the heavy workload the project has created.  We are now in a better position to liaise with other agencies, and the people in the area are now starting to see the impact the project is having."

Pultenetytown is a priority area for CASE with high unemployment levels.  The area is also acknowledged as having the highest level of social and economic difficulty in Caithness.

Eann Sinclair, head of Strengthening Communities at CASE said: "We believe that the employment of two staff to oversee the Pulteneytown People's Project will help to tackle some of the problems experienced by the community including a lack of appropriate services and jobs.

"The establishment of the Pulteneytown People's Project brings the decision-making as close to the residents as possible, therefore contributing to the development of community strengths, leadership and confidence, which is one of CASE's main aims."