As a difficult year draws to a close, 20 community groups in Edinburgh are ending 2020 with some good news: a £328,583 cash boost from The National Lottery Community Fund!
Among the local organisations receiving early Christmas cheer are Ama-Zing Harmonies, Muirhouse Millennium Centre and North Edinburgh Arts.
Community groups in Edinburgh are sharing in £3.3 million of National Lottery funding to help them rise to the challenges of COVID-19 and beyond.
Thanks to National Lottery players, 141 projects across the country including 13 in Edinburgh are set to benefit.
Lifecare Edinburgh Limited receives £79,990 to continue its Vintage Vibes service across the city for the next two years.
Andrew Ainsworth, Service Co-ordinator, Vintage Vibes, said: “Vintage Vibes tackles isolation and loneliness in over 60s (VIPs) across Edinburgh through one to one friendships with local volunteers, based on shared interests.
“Edinburgh is the loneliest city in the UK for older people – something we know has only been exacerbated through the current pandemic. This grant will allow us to continue to support our current VIPs and many more over the next couple of years as we move through and beyond COVID-19.
“We know what a difference their friendships make to our VIPs – one VIP, Norma told us that for her ‘it’s essential to have something like Vintage Vibes’. Thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and to all National Lottery players for making it possible for us to continue to make a difference to our VIPs.”
Thistle Health and Wellbeing receives £120,000 to deliver a programme which will support people who have been severely impacted by long term physical and mental health conditions. The support will also help clients who are living with the longer term effects of COVIVD-19, including Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome.
The project will help many more people like Rafit Khan, aged 41, from Edinburgh.
Rafit said: ““I met different people which has made me feel good about myself, more confident to approach people. I think groups like this are very beneficial for people with mental or physical problems or with chronic illness. It gives them skills/tools to manage it throughout their life.”
Welcoming the funding, Mark Hoolahan, CEO, Thistle Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. The grant will enable Thistle to support more people living with long term health conditions to live a life free of isolation and loneliness.
“Thistle supports people to feel more in control, ensuring that a health crisis does not become a life crisis, and so this funding will have a significant positive impact on the wellbeing of people in Edinburgh and the Lothians.”
Announcing the funding to 141 projects across Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “These projects in Edinburgh are rising to the challenges of COVID-19 and supporting local people to stay connected with each other in these unprecedented times.
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland is currently focusing its funding 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
Projects helping young Scots overcome barriers to employment and education during the pandemic today celebrate over half a million pounds in new funding.
Intercultural Youth Scotland and Forth Valley Disability Sport are amongst nine youth-led groups that will help young Scots build confidence, develop new skills and realise their full potential, sharing in £659,935 from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start Fund.
Thanks to £98,710 in funding the future of Intercultural Youth Scotland’s Restless Natives programme is assured for the next three years.
This work supports young Scots from minority ethnic backgrounds to overcome the challenges they face in accessing employment, education and volunteering.
Restless Natives will help more young people like Nisha Singh, 17, from Edinburgh, who has found the programme was a vital source of support during lockdown.
On leaving college this year Nisha had hoped to take on an apprenticeship as she left formal education. The COVID-19 crisis threw those plans into jeopardy leaving Nisha worried and stressed for her future.
Nisha said: “The help I’ve got from Restless Natives has made a huge difference to me. They stepped in and offered support with applications, online interviews, updating my CV, and from my mental health perspective it really helped as well.
“The youth practitioners are young and have experiences of struggling to get support through their education and employment too – so they really listen to young people’s needs. I felt supported and I knew where to go when I had any questions.
“It’s thanks to the help I’ve had from Restless Natives I have been accepted on to a graduate apprenticeship in my chosen field, software engineering, which starts this month.
“I’m so thankful this service exists. It’s so different from schools and is more accessible and comfortable to young BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Colour) Scots like me.”
Forth Valley Disability Sport (FVDS) also picks up £51,000 in funding today to expand its Step Out project supporting young people living with a physical, sensory or learning disability across the Forth Valley area.
The project uses sport and physical activity to help disabled young people make friends, develop life skills, and gain qualifications.
Welcoming the award is FVDS youth volunteer, Caitlyn Ross, from Denny, who started taking part in disability sport when she was just ten years old: “Over the years disability sport has truly changed my life for the better.
“I feel like I have found where I belong, and I am a part of something where I don’t feel judged and can just be me, so I’d like to say thank you to Young Start.
“Coming to Forth Valley Disability Sport has helped develop my confidence and self-esteem and I have made so many friends. It also led to me volunteering both here and with several other local organisations. I have also gained qualifications and expanded my knowledge in so many different sports.
“I’ve also had great opportunities to share my story around sports volunteering and I have my voice heard in the Forth Valley Disability Sports Youth Committee, the Scottish Disability Sports (SDS) Youth Panel and the SDS Young Start Programme.”
Graham Harvey, FVDS Branch Coordinator, said: “This grant from Young Start will allow us to continue to develop a wide range of opportunities within the Forth Valley area. FVDS greatly appreciates the support of The National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start Fund to help the charity to change lives through sport and physical activity.”
Young Start awards dormant bank and building society cash to youth-led projects across Scotland and is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Announcing today’s funding totalling £659,935, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “Young Start funding helps to support young people to build confidence, develop new skills and realise their own potential. Each project awarded today has made an incredible impact in the lives of the young people they support.
“They are great examples of how the youth sector has stepped up during the current crisis offering support in new ways. At a time when young people are concerned about their futures, I’m delighted that Young Start is working with projects like Intercultural Youth Scotland, and all these projects, offering renewed support into employment and education.”
Groups wanting to know more about Young Start, and how it can support them during these unprecedented times should visit
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/youngstart or contact 0141 846 0447.
An award of £770k announced today to North Edinburgh Childcare means they will be able to transform and expand their existing premises allowing them to increase the services they already provide and support even more families across the city.
Welcoming the award, Theresa Allison, General Manager, North Edinburgh Childcare, said: “We are absolutely delighted at this award which will go towards a new build and renovations of our existing building which will enable us to create an additional 84 full-time equivalent childcare places.
“Once built this has the potential to support approximately another 200 parents/carers to lift themselves out of poverty. We are so excited about the new build and refurbishment but even more excited that, for the first time ever, we will be able to offer a number of places to people aspiring to get into work or training. This is all possible thanks to people who play The National Lottery.”
Another capital organisation celebrating this morning is Leith’s Multi Cultural Family Base (MCFB), who receive £233,000 to deliver support services to vunerable children and families from primarily minority ethnic communities.
A spokesperson for MCFB said: We are thrilled to receive continued funding from the The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland to continue supporting children from minority ethnic communities in Edinburgh with the important transition from home and nursery to school via our 4-2-7 project.
“As well as supporting children one to one and, when possible, within school settings, this will include our continued work supporting parents by providing them a space to meet once a week to build confidence, make friendships and share experiences.
“We look forward to continuing to work with schools and families both virtually and, when we can, face to face at our offices and within schools.”
There’s also £8750 for Blackhall Playgroup, who will use their award to prepare for the easing of lockdown, putting measures in place to enable the return of some children and also provide resources to those who cannot.
And Granton Parish Church will be cooking with gas – the church on Boswall Parkway receives £10,000 for a new kitchen in the church hall, supporting numerous community groups who use the popular local facility.
Announcing today’s funding to 311 projects across Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, recognise the incredible work happening across Scotland to create stronger, more connected communities.
“I am delighted that some of this funding will be used to transform existing buildings into vibrant community hubs that will carry on the strong community spirit that has been so evident in recent times.
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that money they raise by buying tickets is continuing to make such a difference.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland is currently focusing its funding 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
Pilton Youth & Children’s Project has received an award of £75,285 from the National Lottery Community Fund.
PYCP is one of twelve Scottish projects – and the only one in Edinburgh – to receive a share of £800,000 in dormant bank account money.
The local youth group, based at The Greenhouse in West Pilton, will use the Young Start funding over three years to run their Creative Mentoring Programme to help young people aged 15-20 years move away from participating in anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
PYCP’s Lesley Ross said: “We are delighted to receive this award.
“The project will recruit 10 young people each year for a 6 month programme (two intakes), which includes peer mentoring, education, training, weekly sessions, 3 day residential course and an emphasis on improved mental health and well-being.
An employability project giving disabled young Scots newfound confidence, skills and qualifications is also celebrating today.
Leonard Cheshire’s Can Do Dumfries project receive a two-year grant of £55,904. The funding will support young volunteers like 21-year-old Alastair, from Gretna, to learn new skills and achieve accredited qualifications that will boost their chances of future employment.
Alastair said: “I started coming along to the Can Do conservation project because I wanted to improve my knowledge of the outdoors, gain a certificate and better my CV. Before the project I was struggling to find work. I had difficulty socialising as I was feeling nervous and unsure all the time.
“Can Do helped me to feel more capable and boosted my confidence. It also helped build my knowledge and skills, particularly in sawing and working with wood. Now, I will get a new job or start more training.”
During the current lockdown period, Leonard Cheshire is delivering its Can Do Dumfries project through digital platforms to keep young people engaged and focused on developing their personal skills.
Welcoming today’s award, Stuart Robertson, Director for Leonard Cheshire in Scotland, said: “We are delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work this way.
“Now, thanks to this Young Start award, we will be able to continue empowering young people with additional support needs in Dumfries and Galloway to give back to the community.”
Young Start awards dormant bank and building society cash to youth-led projects across Scotland and is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Announcing the funding, National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “Young Start aims to help children and young people across Scotland realise their potential while also building invaluable skills and confidence for the future.
“By placing young people at the heart of project design, delivery and evaluation, these projects will empower young people to achieve whatever they set their mind to.”
Groups wanting to know more about Young Start, and how it can support them during these unprecedented times, should visit:
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/young-start
or contact 0141 846 0447.
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
Scottish groups receive special National Lottery 25th birthday funding to bring their great community ideas to life
last year’s event at Starbank Park
The National Lottery is using Valentine’s Day to reveal some of the local champions who love their community so much that they applied for a special grant to do something positive locally – and were successful.
Over 200 projects in Scotland will receive money from the fund – called #CelebrateNationalLottery25 – after they applied to the £2 million pot last December. Among them is local group Friends of Starbank Park.
The fund, which has now closed, invited applications from anyone with a great idea to make a difference in their local community. Up to £1,000 was available to them, showing that no individual or idea is too small to make a big difference and bring people together across the Scotland.
An award of £250 means that the Friends of Starbank Park will be able to organise a very special Cherry Blossom Picnic at the picturesque community park in North Edinburgh.
Graham Buckley said; “This brilliant funding from The National Lottery means that this year in May we can open up this even further by inviting groups of disadvantaged people from surrounding areas to join our annual Cherry Blossom picnic events.
“We hope that this will lead to these groups and individuals, especially the children, start using this unique park on a regular basis in the future.”
An award of £1,000 to Minishant Social and Leisure Group means that the small village in South Ayrshire is able to host its first community gala for 20 years.
Jackie Murray said: “This is amazing, we have little amenities here and we are extremely grateful to have received this money from The National Lottery to help us organise our Gala Day in June this year.
“As many of us who live here will remember this used to be such a highlight that everyone looked forward to each summer. The money will be used to lease the grounds and buildings required, hire inflatables and the carriage for the king and queen. Our Gala Day will see neighbours of all ages coming together to socialise and I can’t think of a better way to pull community spirits back together.”
In Aberdeenshire, Kinellar Community Hall receives £1,000 to organise a very special party for the local community which will celebrate the hall’s 15th birthday.
Kirsty Quin said: “What a wonderful way to celebrate our community hall’s birthday. We are having an afternoon tea party on 29 February with lots of entertainment and a performance from the local school choir.
“The hall is in the heart of our village and this event will be a very special way for the whole community to get together. Thanks so much from all the Kinellar Community Hall staff and board.”
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “It’s fantastic to see people’s love for their communities inspiring them to use National Lottery funding to make great things happen – we’ve been blown away by all the great ideas.
“#CelebrateNationalLottery25 is supporting a wide variety of projects across Scotland this year, all bringing people together to show the impact that small grants can make.”
Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £40 billion has been raised for good causes in the areas of arts, sport, heritage and community over the last 25 years.
#CelebrateNationalLottery25 is funded and delivered by The National lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.
The #CelebrateNationalLottery25 fund marked the culmination of a major campaign by The National Lottery celebrating its impact over the past 25 years and thanking players for contributing £30 million to good causes every week.
The National Lottery Community Fund is responsible for giving out money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year it gave out over £36m of National Lottery funding to community projects across Scotland. Over 1291 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
Local projects North Edinburgh Arts and The Yard (Scotland Yard Adventure Centre) are among the organisations sharing in over £5 million of National Lottery funding today. Continue reading Lottery Community Fund boost for local projects
On Tuesday (19th November), Joe Fitzpatrick – Minister for Public Health, Sport and Well-being will cut the ribbon and formally launch Scotland’s first canal boat providing services for the recovery community.
The Sorted Project is an Edinburgh charity established in 2008. In recent years they have been hiring a canal boat on the Union Canal to support men and women in recovery from substance dependency and associated mental health issues. The success of this work inspired the National Lottery Fund to support the commission of a fully accessible purpose-built canal boat named Panacea.
The service provides a tranquil environment where training and volunteering opportunities are available.
Project Manager Karen Bradford said: “We decided to launch Panacea on this date as it would be a special way to say thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund and to everyone who buys a National Lottery ticket.
“Activity in recovery is an essential part of being well. Our work helps to build resilience through being part of a community, being part of a crew and building hope for the future. Learning to drive and crew a 60ft boat is a powerful way to learn new transferable skills and build self-belief and confidence.
“Funding from the National Lottery Community Fund has enabled us to develop this unique project and we have included people in recovery in not only shaping our work, but also designing the boat. It’s a tremendous achievement and we are all very proud indeed.”
Tuesday 19th November is a significant date which sees the launch of Panacea and the 25th Birthday of the National Lottery.
The boat was designed and built by specialist boat builders, Crafted Boats in Stoke Prior near Bromsgrove. It was transported by road to Sandpoint Marina in Dumbarton. A Sorted Project crew of 9 including staff, board members, volunteers and participants sailed the boat all the way back to Ratho near Edinburgh. The journey took 4 days and was a wonderful experience and a great achievement for everyone involved.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “It is a pleasure to launch the Panacea which offers such a unique and enterprising way to help people recover from their substance use and improve their mental health.
“Our drugs strategy challenges services to better meet the complex health and social needs of those who are most at risk and deliver services that address their specific circumstances.
“The Sorted Project is delivering a service which offers individuals the chance to develop their confidence and skills in a tranquil and relaxing setting where they can focus on their recovery.”
The Sorted Project is now delivering this unique service and aims to reach recovery communities along the Union Canal.
The launch event starts at midday with the ribbon cutting ceremony taking place at 3pm.
www.facebook.com/sortedproject
To mark World Kindness Day today, and as part of the National Lottery’s 25th Birthday celebrations, The National Lottery Community Fund is shining a spotlight on the £96 million it has invested into befriending projects in Scotland over the last 25 years.
During this time, The National Lottery has given money to over 920 befriending projects in Scotland, providing companionship for people of all ages.
