Funding for activities? It’s child’s play!

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Community groups across Scotland working with parents and families of children under eight are being encouraged to apply for cash from the multi-million pound Communities and Families fund.

Now in its fourth and final year, the programme funded jointly by the Scottish Government and the Big Lottery Fund, has grants of between £250 and £10,000 available to projects that give Scottish children the best start in life.

Those applying will follow in the footsteps of the latest 37 groups  sharing in grants worth £97,748. They range from projects encouraging outdoor play and physical activity through to health and wellbeing schemes for children and their parents.

Three Edinburgh-based projects are among the latest groups to receive funding. A grant of over £8700 will enable Leith’s Saheliya project to run a 30 week play project for children, while Carrick Knowe Parish Church will use their award of £9700 to support workshops and activities for families with young children. Oak Note Theatre received £9600 and they plan to put on shows and deliver workshops to early years and primary school children across Scotland

Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair Maureen McGinn explained: “Over the last three years the Communities and Families fund has awarded over £4.4 million to 560 groups including playgroups and creches which put children and their needs at their heart of their work. As we enter the fourth and final year of the programme, we are keen to hear from groups across the country who have an idea for funding.

“We know that the demand is likely to be high for the funding available and so we would encourage groups to come and speak to us as early as possible.  Full details of our simple application process can be found on our website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/scotland and you can discuss your idea with us on 0300 123 7110.”

Fiona McLeod, Acting Minister for Children and Young People said: “Since its launch in 2012, the Communities and Families Fund has funded a wide range of activities to support children and families across Scotland. This joint venture with the Big Lottery Fund has been a resounding success by providing resources for groups working directly with children and families in communities. The Fund is now in its last year so I would encourage community groups to take this opportunity to apply for funding.”

One group receiving funding in the latest round of grants is Hawkhill Community Association in Clackmannanshire. The group will use its £9,978 award to deliver a free afternoon homework club for local children under eight years of age.

May Richmond, Community Centre Manager, Hawkhill Community Association, said: “This funding will make a tremendous difference. Put simply we would not be able to run the club without it. The children asked for the homework club. They will receive a 30-minute homework session, 30 minutes to have something to eat and 30 minutes of physical exercise. Everyone benefits from this as the children are better educated, the parents see the difference and teachers are commenting on the improvements.

“The Communities and Families application form was simple to complete and the questions were specific which made it easy to fill in.  I’d certainly encourage other groups to apply for the funding available.”

The Communities and Families fund is open to a range of groups including voluntary and community organisations, statutory bodies or community councils. Money is available for a range of activities such as parenting support, including pre and post natal support; community play projects, food preparation and nutrition projects and community based family support activities.

Groups interesting in applying should visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/communitiesandfamiliesfund

or email enquiries.scotland@biglotteryfund.org.uk with their project ideas.

See below for the full list of May 2015 recipients:

280515 CCF grants for May release option 2

Lottery boost for Haven project

circle familyWest Pilton-based charity Circle  has been awarded £10000 from the Communities and Families fund, an initiative supported by the Scottish Government and Big Lottery Fund. The grant will support activities at Circle’s Haven Project based at Craigroyston Primary School.

Announcing the awards earlier this week, Maureen McGinn, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Committee, said: “I’m delighted to announce today’s grants for projects that encourage healthy lifestyles, outdoor activities, and support with parenting skills. The aim of the Communities and Families Fund is to help give children the best start in life and we’re keen to hear from groups across the country that could benefit from this funding. Details of our simple application process can be found on our website or by calling 0300 123 7110.”

The £10,000 grant to The Family Service Unit Scotland (Circle) will help families in the Craigroyston area to improve their health and wellbeing by learning key parenting skills. As well as providing a series of outdoor trips and family events, the project will also encourage fathers to be more actively involved in their child’s development.

Anna Flaherty, Manager of Circle, said: “Circle Haven is a community based project providing support to children and families living in the area to improve the general wellbeing of the whole family. The project comes into daily contact with families experiencing hardship, as well as ill health, unemployment, family break up, drug and alcohol addiction.

“The funding will enable us to provide quality experiences that families otherwise would not have. We do this by delivering group work programmes for parents and children that ultimately encourages educational experiences for parents, children and babies, increases social networks, offers peer support and improves the participants’ general health and wellbeing.”

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Families, said: “I am delighted to see the wide range of projects the Communities and Families Fund supports and the latest projects to receive funding. I want Scotland to be the best place to grow up and our joint venture with the Big Lottery Fund aims to help families and communities flourish by supporting local projects that can make a big impact on improving the lives of children and families.”

The Communities and Families Fund has a budget of £4.5 million from The Scottish Government and £1.5 million from the Big Lottery Fund. Groups can apply for funding from £250 to £10,000.

To find out more about the scheme and how to apply, visit:

www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_communities_and_families_fund

or telephone 0300 123 7110.

Youth theatre? Join the A-Team!

A Team JPEG

Lottery funding supports new Youth Theatre Company

In February 2013, inspired by our backgrounds in theatre and youth work, a small group met to discuss and develop an ethos and a strategy to build foundations for what later would become ‘A-Team Productions’.

Our vision was to put together a new youth theatre company which would change the image of Amateur Dramatics and youth entertainment. We wanted to encompass new ideas and experience of what has worked in the past to create something which would not only benefit the lives of young people in Edinburgh but the wider community as a whole.

Our ethos is simple: to promote teamwork, equality and encourage individuals with raw and unnourished potential to get involved, give it a go and grow under our roof.

We believe that Edinburgh has a wealth of talented young people, we see it all around us. We want to provide an opportunity for these young people to be the best, allow them to meet new friends and work with them to reach a common goal of putting on a five star production.

We at A-Team aim to do it like the professionals would! Our young people will wear the finest costumes, get star treatment and perform to full houses of eagerly awaiting theatre goers.

However without our funders we would be nothing. In April it was announced that A-Team Productions were granted funding to run productions for 3 years with a generous fund from The Big Lottery. Their Young Start programme will ensure that we have the necessary funds to put on an extravagant show without the families having to pay a penny.

Our first production “Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will be performed in St Brides Centre in February 2014. Auditions for this production will be held at Ocean Terminal on 28 September 2013, call backs on 29 September. 

For any information regarding the company, auditions or our february production please mail ateamproductionschair@live.co.uk or call 07973317031.

www.a-teamproductions.org

United.Passionate.Successful

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