The STV Children’s Appeal is supporting children and young people affected by poverty in Edinburgh with funding awarded to local charitable projects.Local project Steps to Hope has received £2,000 from the STV Children’s Appeal while About Youth has received £1,000 – with both grants supporting the projects’ work to improve the lives of children and young people in their communities.
Steps to Hope aids and supports the homeless and those suffering from addiction.
The funds from the STV Children’s Appeal will help Steps the charity to continue providing necessities such as warm clothing, a soup kitchen and free accommodation and services for those who attend recovery meetings.
Richard Roncero, Founder and Chairman of Steps to Hope, said: “We are so grateful to STV Children’s Appeal for awarding us this grant. These funds will allow us to continue to support those suffering on our streets of Edinburgh and hopefully guide them into a new way of life.”
Wester Hailes-based About Youth provides advice and support to young people through innovative and engaging youth groups and outreach activities.
The funding from the STV Children’s Appeal will help support the charity’s youth work programmes in the Calders area.
Alan Ross, Project Executive at About Youth, said: “Funding from the STV Children’s Appeal will enable us to reach out to more young people in our community who need help and support to overcome the inequality and disadvantage that they experience.”
In eight years the STV Children’s Appeal has raised over £19 million, with 1102 grants awarded to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland – providing much needed support to over 79,000 children and young people.
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.
Baroness Margaret Ford, chair of the board of trustees for STV Children’s Appeal, said: “Thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts taking place across the country in 2018, the STV Children’s Appeal is once again able to support projects that do hugely important work to help vulnerable children and young people across Scotland.
“A special thanks to everyone who has generously given their time and effort to raise funds over the past year – you are helping to make a real difference to the lives of Scotland’s children.”
Sir Tom Hunter, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: ““Change comes from individuals, communities and charities with the commitment and drive to make a difference to those most in need.
“We at the STV Children’s Appeal are delighted to support these projects and want to reiterate our thanks to those who raised funds – every penny you raise goes straight to charities like these to make a real difference.”
Sir Ian Wood is a trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal. The Wood Foundation has supported the Appeal for six years, providing £900,000 to support projects and initiatives, which include a number across the North-east, addressing the causes and consequences of childhood poverty.
He said: “Childhood poverty is a deeply troubling reality impacting negatively upon the lives of tens of thousands of families across Scotland. Projects supported by the STV Children’s Appeal are making an incredible difference in tackling the root causes and alleviating the impact of childhood poverty while improving the life chances and experiences of young people who need support the most.
“The Appeal, which is generously supported by the public year after year, is one The Wood Foundation is proud to partner in delivering vital work for our young people.”
If you would like to help raise funds for Scotland’s children – as a group or an individual – please get in touch with Mari Slavin at mari.slavin@stv.tv.
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