A super proud moment for Granton Youth – two members of our Families Together group are putting their incredible cooking skills to good use and are cooking a community lunch at every Monday at 12:30 – 13:00 at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.
We would love it if you went along and supported them and we can guarantee a beautiful meal!
For the last five Friday afternoons, the Craigroyston Community High School pupils below have been working with the Granton Youth Project and the City Art Centre to create artwork for an exhibition at the City Art Centre (Market Street) on Friday 17th February:
Lamiya Hossain
Faiza Manha
Leona May
Biva Rahman
Yasmin Theisen De Figueiredo
Firdaws Yaich El Yahyaoui
If you are up town and able to, then please pop into the gallery between 2 – 4pm to meet the artists and see their fantastic artwork on display!
Congratulations everyone! 
Over £11 million of National Lottery funding will help to keep vital local facilities and services running across Scotland, as 299 community projects today (Tuesday 1 November) share in share in grants from The National Lottery Community Fund.
The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, means that many community and voluntary sector groups will be able to continue their support to individuals, families and communities who have been disproportionately affected by increased cost-of-living pressures.
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre is one of the recipients announced today. Drylaw Community Association, the voluntary organisation that oversees the centre, has been awarded £94,000.
The windfall is welcome news for the cash-strapped organisation, which earlier this year was facing closure due to a funding crisis.
This grant will fund a variety of community activities within Drylaw which community members can engage with. This project will support 1650 community members and provide 150 volunteering opportunities for the local community over two years.
Granton Youth, currently based at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, has been awarded nearly £128,000. The group will use the funding to work with 60 young parents and parents of teenagers within the North West of Edinburgh.
This project will also provide fifteen volunteer opportunities through the work of the
project. A range of support will be provided to parents and families which will consist of one to one support, group work sessions/workshops, counselling and family mediation.
Another youth organisation celebrating today is The Junction, who receive almost £150,000.
The Leith group will use the funding to provide a counselling service for young people aged 12 to 21 years, reaching 250 young people, supported by 30 volunteers.
There’s welcome news for North Edinburgh’s older people, too. LifeCare has been awarded over £180,000.
The Stockbridge-based organisation celebrated it’s 80th birthday last year and will continue providing support to isolated older people within Edinburgh by matching people over 60 years (known as VIPs) to volunteers with shared interests, creating friendships and improving wellbeing.
Group activities at LifeCare include a choir group ‘ Vocal Vibes, a Film Group, a Sewing Bee, and Bingo.
Over three years the project will support 420 older people and 450 volunteers.
Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) was established in 1991 to help disabled people to live independently and take control of their lives.
For over 30 years the organisation has provided independent advice, advocacy and support to disabled people and an award of £131,306 means this service will continue for another three years.
Callum Odgen, Disability Information Services Co-ordinator, LCiL, said:” This funding will allow us to build on our successful services and do more to support disabled people, people with long-term conditions and older people to live independently, access essential services and maximise their income through comprehensive advice and support.
“With the cost-of-living crisis adding to the existing social and financial impact of COVID-19 felt by people across Scotland, this award will help ensure that we continue to be at the forefront of providing support to those who need it in Edinburgh and the Lothians.”
Other big winners are The Welcoming Association (£140,000), Grassmarket Community Project (£80,000) and ACE IT (£198,000), while other local projects to receive small grants include Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, who receive £9999, Citadel Arts Group (£6600) and bereavement charity Held in our Hearts, who receive £4126.
Announcing the funding, Kate Still, Scotland Chair, The National Lottery Community Fund said: “This latest round of funding is one of the ways we are directing our National Lottery funding to support people and communities facing difficult circumstances.
“Our message to community groups across Scotland is that we are here for you and our role, as a funder, is to continue to listen and to be flexible and responsive to the challenges and pressures you are facing.
“It’s all thanks to National Lottery players that we are able to help give charities and community groups throughout Scotland greater certainty during this critical time.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
If you’ve ever fancied getting into rock climbing we’re taking a couple of groups along to @alienrock_bloc on the 11th February!
Message us, or email ryan@grantonyouth.com to secure a space!
Local youth agencies are currently looking for young Youth Work Volunteers, offering some great opportunities for local young people.
Interested? Get in touch with the organisation via email.
An award of £9,500 announced today to Children with Cancer and Leukaemia Advice and Support for Parents SCIO (CCLASP) means that they will be able to provide essential food and household items for families with children suffering from cancer leukaemia.
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre also receives an award of £10,000 to provide a targeted advice service for some of the most vulnerable disabled children and their carers. And an award of £14,000 means that Children 1st, based in Edinburgh, will be able to increase the capacity of their telephone helpline and digital support service, Parentline, to meet increased demand during the COVID-19 crisis.
The awards to CCLASP, Scotland Yard Adventure Centre and Children 1st are three of 31 Edinburgh based projects sharing in £271,636 of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
There’s money too for LifeCare’s Cheyne Gang choir to move online, Granton Youth Centre for a mudic video project and support for both Leith Festival and ELREC’s Edinburgh Climate Festival.
Across the country 282 groups, from charities to smaller voluntary led community projects, are receiving funding raised by National Lottery players for a range of activities, many of which will help people to support each other through the COVID-19 crisis.
Gordon Murdie, General Manager, CCLASP, said: “The National Lottery Community Fund award has ensured that the charity can meet its ongoing staff and running costs through the pandemic and be ready to resume its operation in full as soon as the Scottish Government allows.
“This funding has allowed us the financial security to diversify and assist the families we serve in the best way we can during these difficult times. Lockdown is challenging in general but for families with children suffering from cancer and leukaemia it is particularly difficult.
“Since lockdown began, we have delivered over 20,000 items to around 300 children and their families. These deliveries of essentials, small treats and toys to brighten the days have meant so much to so many.”
Ellen Starkey, Fundraising Assistant, Scotland Yard Adventure Centre, said: “Here at The Yard we were delighted to receive a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund for our COVID-19 services.
“It will enable us to provide at-home play ideas, online mental health and wellbeing sessions, online play sessions and much more for disabled children, young people and their families, as well as our small, targeted service at The Yard, Edinburgh.
“We hope this support will offer fun, respite and a much-needed community of support for our families at this time. Thank you!”
Linda Jardine, Director of Children and Family Services, Children 1st, said: “Right now, more families across Scotland are getting the support they need to cope through the coronavirus crisis, thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund’s support for Parentline.
“Parentline is our digital family support service, offering help by phone, by webchat and online, every day of the week. Families are telling us that as they face the strains of losing loved ones, mounting financial pressures and the stress of juggling the care their children need with work and other demands, the support Parentline offers is quite simply a lifeline.
“Parentline is here for any family in need of support on 08000 28 22 33, or online: www.children1st.org.uk/parentline.”
Announcing today’s funding totalling £3,384,222, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, are making an amazing contribution to the nation-wide response to combat the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across Scotland.
“This funding will make a huge difference to the lives of thousands more people and highlights the vital work that’s being done in communities across the country at the moment. It also reminds us all how important a package of tailored support can be to improve well-being and help forge a sense of belonging to a wider community again.”
The National Lottery Community Fund, over the next six months, will focus its National Lottery funding in Scotland on those projects that supporting organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of COVID-19.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
