Environmental charity fears for its funds

ENVIRONMENTAL charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has started to raise its own funds for the first time amid fears of swingeing public sector budget cuts.

The organisation has appointed a full-time fundraiser and launched a national campaign to encourage supporters to donate money through events, regular gifts and legacies. It will also target major corporations to ask for donations and apply for grants from trusts for the first time.

Previously, KSB's cash - to meet its 6.5 million a year running costs - was generated from grants supplied by the Scottish Government and local authorities. But the charity, which runs an annual awards ceremony to find Scotland's best-kept towns and villages, now wants to protect itself from looming public sector cutbacks.

"We don't yet know what the effects of the cuts will be, but we want to make sure that we are in a position to deal with them if and when they come," said Becky Pankhurst, senior development officer for Keep Scotland Beautiful.