Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP) will be cooking with gas following a £4700 donation from Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids. The local youth organisation provides vital services to the area’s young people and plans to use the money to develop kitchen facilities at the Greenhouse.
PYCP offers a wide range of interconnecting services in the local community for children between the ages of 5 to 18; through youth and children’s clubs, 1:1 support, employment programmes, alternatives to crime work and much more. But, the organisation, which was launched in 1997, relies entirely on donations and is struggling to survive amid growing demands for its facilities.
In its latest round of funding, Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids has provided £4,700 to the PYCP to support the development of a state-of-the-art new kitchen, which will provide free meals and cookery lessons to over 250 young people.
Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids has paid out more than £260,000 to organisations and individuals in need, so far this year. The funding has helped 6,368 children who are disadvantaged through poverty or disability.
Emma Kemp, Charity Manager at Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids, said: “In 2016, we received a staggering £1.4 million in donations and it looks like we’ll beat that figure this year. Every penny of money raised by the local charity is spent in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife, and it makes a huge difference to the lives of some of our region’s most vulnerable young people.
“Many of our funding recipients are individual families who desperately need our help – whether it was some cash to pay for clothing, or help constructing garden or in-home facilities that were safe for children with disabilities. But, groups like Pilton Youth and Children’s Project also provide a vital service to the community and we’re delighted to have provided additional help. It’s amazing to see how the volunteers help to transform the lives of kids who would otherwise go without basic support structures. Hopefully our support will help them to continue being a central part of the Pilton community.”
Lesley Ross, Project Manager at Pilton Youth and Children’s Project, added: “Over the last decade there has been a lot of investment in the area and conditions have undoubtedly improved, with new housing and support services. But, deprivation undoubtedly still exists and we are here to support children, young people and their families to have meaningful opportunities, fun experiences and a safe place to come.
“To some extent, we’ve become victims of our own success and we’re struggling with rising demand for our facilities and projects. We’re absolutely thrilled that Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids has agreed to fund the new kitchen facilities. The charity has already helped us in the past, so we know first-hand what a difference it can make.
“We’re planning to completely renovate the space and make it more equipped to provide catering for large groups, as well as providing a truly interactive space to encourage and support young people with cookery training. We have many challenges ahead, but every penny of support really helps and we can’t wait to get started on the new facilities.”
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