Bright Light, a charity which provides relationship counselling across Edinburgh and the Lothians, has been awarded over £22,000 from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund (SWAF) to support its ‘Families in Recovery’ project.
Three years ago, Bright Light identified a need to offer specialist family counselling sessions for children and young people adjusting to life with a parent or guardian recovering from alcohol addiction. In order to get this off the ground, the charity, which has been running for 73 years, applied for funding from the SWAF.
Now in its third year of SWAF funding, the Families in Recovery project is going from strength to strength, supporting between 30 and 40 families every year, with the charity looking to expand the project further to help more people.
The specialist therapy sessions work with the whole family, providing private counselling and giving families the opportunity to talk about difficult topics, often for the first time.
It focuses on the various strengths of each person and highlights how those around them can work together to aid an individual’s recovery from alcohol addiction.
By helping families in this way, the charity has an ambition to break generational cycles of alcohol abuse as children understand the negative impacts and learn new ways to cope with stress and anxiety.
Julie Hogg-Weld, Chief Executive of Bright Light said: “We provide a safe space for families to heal from alcohol-related issues and move on with their lives.
“This is beneficial to the person recovering from alcohol addiction, but it is also incredibly helpful for the whole family. People have a better chance of staying in recovery if they have a strong network around them and that is what we help to establish by looking at the strengths within the family even if they are no longer living together.”
SWAF funding has enabled Bright Light’s ‘Families in Recovery’ project to continuously provide its support, this continuity is critical to those receiving care. The project has come a long way and now boasts a seven-strong family therapy team, led by Sam Petrie.
Julie added: “The Covid-19 lockdown has brought many families’ issues to the fore and so it is more important than ever that we are able to provide support to those that need it. We have been providing our sessions via video conferencing and over the phone and will continue to do so throughout this period.
“Without the funding from the SWAF we would not have been able to pilot this project and build on it each year, providing fundamental support to so many families.”
The Fund was established in 2013 by the Scotch Whisky Association to tackle the effects of alcohol misuse and has already made over 50 awards to initiatives across Scotland working to reduce alcohol-related harm.
By 2023, the Fund will have provided £1m of support to charities. It is just one element of the Scotch Whisky industry’s commitment to addressing issues around alcohol and promoting responsible drinking and is managed by Foundation Scotland.
Dame Joan Stringer, chair of the decision-making panel for ongoing funding, said: “This project has achieved very positive results since first being awarded the funding, making a measurable difference to the communities and the groups it works with.
“Continuation funding is vital to ensure that their impact is ongoing amid unprecedented circumstances, and we look forward to seeing their progress over the coming year.”
Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the SWA, said: “Now more than ever, it is hugely important to be supporting the projects that help to tackle the misuse of alcohol at a community level.
“It has been inspiring to see the impact that this initiative has made, and we are pleased to offer ongoing support via the Scotch Whisky Action Fund, allowing them to build on their excellent work and increase their positive impact.”
The SWAF is now open for applications for funding in 2020-21, the deadline is 2nd July.
To apply, please visit the Foundation Scotland website.