LOTTERY BOOST FOR BIG HEARTS
People in Edinburgh are going All In for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, as local groups prepare to host National Lottery-funded arts, sport and community activities, inspired by the Games.
With just three weeks till the Games begin, four projects in Edinburgh have received over £26,000 (£26,919) of National Lottery Awards for All funding, including Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival and Fischy.
This will help bring people together, encourage participation and help local communities by creating inclusive, locally led activities and events that build excitement, pride and connection ahead of an unforgettable summer of sport.
The awards are part of an additional £2.2 million investment through National Lottery Awards for All Scotland, delivered jointly by The National Lottery Community Fund, sportscotland and Creative Scotland.
The announcement is part of the wider All In campaign, Glasgow 2026’s Scotland‑wide movement inviting communities, schools, sports clubs, cultural and voluntary organisations and businesses to celebrate the Games in their own altogether brilliant way.
Big Hearts Community Trust will use its funding to expand its Together Equality Achieves More (T.E.A.M) project, providing access to free activities for children and young people, aged between eight and 12 years old from multicultural communities across Southwest Edinburgh.
Amanda Farquhar, Head of Delivery at Big Hearts said: “The Big Hearts’ TEAM project is about building a community that celebrates our young people in all their diversity and helps them thrive emotionally and physically through sport.
“We are grateful to National Lottery players whose support has enabled our charity to bring the spirit of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to south-west Edinburgh. We look forward to hosting more opportunities for young people to get active and build friendships outside of school.””
Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival will deliver a five-month community Carnival Arts programme and a street parade to coincide with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Explaining how the funding will be used, Giles Agis, Carnival and Community Manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this National Lottery Awards for All Scotland funding.
“This support will help Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival bring communities together through carnival arts, music, dance, and cultural celebration, marking the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in a way that is inclusive, creative, and rooted in Scotland’s diverse communities. We are very grateful to National Lottery players for making this possible.”
Other projects to receive funding, include Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club, will help train and certify 12 people in wheelchair rugby league coaching and first aid so they can then develop, run and evaluate a 9-month wheelchair rugby league programme for around 100 disabled children and young people living in Edinburgh.
Fishcy received support to deliver a free, celebratory Commonwealth Games 2026 online music and movement event to engage primary schools and Additional Support Needs schools across Scotland.
The funding is helping remove barriers to participation, enabling more people to take part in sport, arts and community activities while supporting health, wellbeing and social connection. Projects will also celebrate Scotland’s cultural diversity and ensure communities across the country can feel part of Glasgow 2026.
Announcing the first 40 grants totalling £317,456, on behalf of National Lottery Awards for All Scotland distributors, Neil Ritch, The National Lottery Community Fund Director for Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to support Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival and Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club and Fischy to bring the spirit of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to their community through The National Lottery Awards for All Scotland.
“It’s really exciting to see so many communities go All in and get inspired to deliver sports, arts and cultural activity. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re helping make sure the benefit of the Games is felt in communities right across Scotland.”
Chris Ansell, Glasgow 2026 Director of Live Programmes and Engagement, said “From Shetland to the Borders, we want every community in Scotland to feel part of Glasgow 2026.
“The response from communities across the country has been brilliant with the nation really embracing the spirit of the Games and channelling it into sport, arts and cultural activity. Thanks to support from the National Lottery, we are gathering communities together to celebrate the Games in their own way.
“These projects are proof that the impact of the Games reaches far beyond our incredible venues, sparking something real and lasting in communities. We couldn’t be more proud to see that happening right across Scotland.”
National Lottery Awards for All Scotland has awarded grants of up to £10,000 to help groups deliver activities that resonate with local communities. Funding remains available for projects taking place after the Games, helping extend the legacy of Glasgow 2026 long after the closing ceremony.
Community groups interested in applying can find out more about National Lottery Awards for All Scotland on The National Lottery Community Fund website.
