Joy over $230,000 grant

Community-minded fundraisers at Lake Hawea are jubilant after receiving a $230,000 grant from the Otago Community Trust to help with the million-dollar redevelopment project of the township's community hall.

The Lake Hawea Community Centre redevelopment project was the major recipient to benefit from the Otago Community Trust's distribution of more than $361,000 to 14 organisations around the district during March, trust CEO Keith Ellwood said.

Lake Hawea Community Centre funding co-ordinator Belinda Rixon-Church said the 18-strong fundraising committee were "blown away" by the generous grant. The committee has been working towards its $1.54 million redevelopment funding target for about two years and is now about $420,000 away from achieving its goal.

The community centre expansion aimed to relocate a library buildng and convert the facility into a multifunction meeting room and redeveloped community hall to cater for the needs of Lake Hawea's growing population, she said.

Other community groups to benefit from significant trust grants include the Blueskin Youth Committee ($40,000), the Owaka Swimming Baths Committee ($12,700) and the Otago Sports Car Club ($15,000).

Mr Ellwood said Blueskin Youth Committee grant would go towards a new outdoor recreation facility in Blueskin Bay and assist with installing an all-purpose hard surface area for recreational activities, such as tennis and netball.

The community-owned Owaka Pool - maintained and managed by local volunteers - will use its grant to help pay heating and lighting costs at the facility.