PYCP receives £2000 from STV Children’s Appeal

Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP) has received £2,000 from the STV Children’s Appeal to boost financial support for the local project.

PYCP provides services and activities for young people, ranging from open clubs and groups to community and school based individual support in North Edinburgh Forth Ward, with all activities tailored to meet the needs of the children and young people involved.

Debbie McMillan, Admin Manager of PYCP said: “I have worked within PYCP for six years now and it’s great to see the difference and the changes in the children and young people who have been supported by the project.

“We deal with generations of families who have been involved with our project over many years. PYCP is a real hub in the community and many young people attend our services. We work with some of the most hard to reach young people locally and are making a difference in their lives, offering hope and new aspirations, and enabling them to making better choices. Every deprived community needs a project like PYCP and I am looking forward to the year ahead and the challenges it brings.”

PYCP, based at The Greenhouse in West Pilton, was awarded the accolade of Best Youth Project at last month’s North Edinburgh Youth Awards (below).

Since launch in 2011, the STV Children’s Appeal has raised £11 million with 476 big and small grants distributed to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, providing much needed support to over 59,000 children.

The money raised is distributed to provide practical help like food and warm clothes; create opportunities for training and employability; and enable social and emotional support for those who need it most.

Rob Woodward, STV CEO and trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “All the money donated to the STV Children’s Appeal remains in Scotland and will help bring about positive changes to the lives of vulnerable children and young people on our doorstep. With the help of the extraordinary fundraising efforts taking place in communities across the country we are able to support projects like Pilton Youth And Children’s Project that help improve the lives of children in Scotland.  We are extremely grateful to everyone who supports the STV Children’s Appeal.”

Sir Tom Hunter, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “Through the Appeal our singular ambition is to deliver sustainable solutions to end child poverty. It is simply unacceptable in modern Scotland to still have young people debilitated by poverty through no fault of their own. Thanks to this project and many more, the people of Scotland are doing their level best to combat poverty.

“This is about communities coming together and with a hand up, not a hand out, from the STV Appeal, helping themselves deliver sustainable solutions to end child poverty.” 

Sir Ian Wood, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “The generosity of the people in Scotland who provide such great support to the STV Children’s Appeal is always incredibly encouraging and heart-warming. It is deeply concerning that there continues to be a significant requirement across Scotland for this financial support. However, I do believe that the £2.9million raised this year will make a significant contribution to eradicating the issue of child poverty in Scotland. Throughout my working life I travelled a lot seeing an obvious divide between the haves and the have-nots around the world, and to know that this is also happening on our doorstep is deeply concerning.  Everyone has a role to play in reducing the alarming child poverty statistics.”

If you’re an individual or group that would like to get involved with the STV Children’s Appeal and help raise funds for children and young people affected by poverty in Scotland, please get in touch with Natalie Wright at natalie.wright@stv.tv.