Tag: National Lottery

Poverty-free by 2024?

Lottery funding sees Community Renewal go to work in Bingham and Magdalene

An anti-poverty charity is embarking on a bold and ambitious initiative, thanks to National Lottery funding, to lift an Edinburgh neighbourhood out of poverty in just five years.

Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together, which is being launched this month in Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays by charity Community Renewal, has received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

The initiative has already been strongly endorsed by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission* who described that it “exemplifies many of the features we are challenging the city to implement across all publicly funded services in Edinburgh.”* 

With an estimated 15% of the Edinburgh population and 1 in 5 children living in relative poverty, there is growing recognition that the support currently available to people in poverty is disjointed and it is difficult for them to know where to start to get help.

Building on 20 years placing transformative power into the hands of deprived communities, Community Renewal’s approach looks at the whole person and their whole family. Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together is a radically simple concept, as CEO Paul McColgan explains:

“We want see if we can re-organise current resources to wrap around the needs and aspirations of people and stick with them for as long as it takes to lift them completely out of poverty.”

“We are partnering with an ever-growing number of public and third sector services, as well as private companies, to join forces as together we can provide the coordinated, multi-faceted and practical support people need.

“What is different about this is that we will work street by street and door by door to engage everyone in every household. We are, thanks to the National Lottery funding, putting the whole community in the driving seat.

“We will listen to every person and decipher how to increase their income by helping them access better work and maximise their benefits and pension entitlements.

“We will reduce their costs, by obtaining better deals for households on their monthly bills and help them access fresh food that is locally available and cheaper. We will support people in securing more affordable housing, adequate to their needs.

“We hope to close the attainment gap for young people in this neighbourhood and build a bridge to the best job opportunities the city has to offer.

“After months feeling isolated in lockdown, we will be tackling loneliness and bringing the community together.”

As soon as 2024, Community Renewal hope that by everyone working together, they will have permanently lifted the neighbourhood out of the 15% most deprived category in the Scottish Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation. 

By making use of existing resources, the project will also be delivered without any extra cost to the taxpayer. 

Paul McColgan adds: “The project is a culmination of 20 years working in 17 Scottish neighbourhoods. We have conducted over 40,000 community conversations and helped lift them out of the 15% of most deprived index. 

“Lifting Neighbourhoods Together will place transformative power into the hands of the residents to address key issues in their community, such as mental health and wellbeing, housing, education and training, as well as isolation and loneliness.”

Kate Still, Scotland Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund, added: “Thanks to National Lottery players, Lifting Neighbourhoods Together will put the aspirations of local people front and centre and will build upon these to bring about positive change in their lives.

“We understand that when people are in the lead, communities thrive and so we are delighted to be able to support this person-centred approach to tackling poverty and inequality.”

The project launches this month and Paul invites anyone interested in collaborating or discussing the project to get in touch. Details can be found on the Lifting Neighbourhoods website.

Read Community Renewal’s Towards a Britain Without Poverty brochure here

*From A Just Capital Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh – Edinburgh Poverty Commission Report, September 2020

Capital’s creative projects share in over £1.6m National Lottery funds

The development of picture books for children with complex additional needs, a project to sustain community singing and an exhibition about life after lockdown are among the Edinburgh-based projects and research and development initiatives sharing in over £1.6million of National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland in the latest round of Open Fund awards.  

These funds are supporting creative individuals, projects and organisations across the country to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about by COVID-19, and helping to sustain people’s creative development at this challenging time. 

A project to develop picture books specifically designed for children with complex additional needs has received development funding.

Led by Edinburgh-based author Ailie Finlay and illustrator Kate Leiper, the project will explore how elements of movement, multi-sensory stimuli and musical interludes can help make picture books more engaging, ergonomic and cost-effective. The results will be shared with publishers, authors, illustrators and booksellers to help encourage accessibility in children’s literature. 

Ailie Finlay said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received funding and we’re very much looking forward to developing innovative books that are fun and inspirational for children with complex needs and their families and friends.”

Love Music Productions have received development funding for Connected Choirs to help local community singing groups find ways to successfully come together for distanced community singing. 

As part of this project, songwriters across different genres will be paired with a choir and commissioned to develop a creative response to the challenges of sustaining community singing in times of restricted social contact. The resulting choral materials will assist with distanced teaching and learning, and will be available for free to singing groups across Scotland. 

Talbot Rice Gallery have received research and development funds for a new exhibition exploring what ‘normal’ might look like following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Normal will look at how culture can shape the future, and examine ways in which individuals and communities can help ensure that whatever becomes ‘normal’ after the pandemic is founded upon equality, respect and ecological harmony. 

Tessa Giblin, Director, Talbot Rice Gallery said:“We want to look at what this pandemic year has meant to us from a variety of angles – from viruses and their relationship with evolution, to the asymmetry of this pandemic due to social and racial inequality, to its proof that we can step off the train of progress.”

A full list of recipients of Open Fund awards is available on the Creative Scotland website. 

Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland said: “The Open Fund is supporting the creative sector to explore new, safe ways of working, developing practices and reaching wide audiences.

“From poetry festivals to theatre programmes, these projects reflect the resilience, innovation and determination of Scotland’s creative community in the face of COVID-19.” 

“Through these challenging and unpredictable times, creativity, art and culture are bringing us together and supporting our emotional wellbeing. Made possible by the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, these awards are helping to sustain the value that creativity adds to our lives.” 

Young Start lottery boost for Capital employability project

Projects that will boost the physical and mental health of young Scots are amongst those sharing in £732,323 of dormant bank accounts funding announced on Thursday.

Ten projects, run for and by young people, are celebrating the cash from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start fund. 

One of them is Edinburgh’s Capital City Partnership, who receive £62, 500. The city council’s arms-length employability agency will use their Young Start funding to work with ‘young people in Edinburgh at high risk of unemployment’ who will be supported by a dedicated Employment Advocacy worker. The project will work with twenty young people and will also offer two volunteering opportunities.

The Young Start funding will remove barriers to sport and physical activity for young disabled Scots like racerunner athlete Wiktoria Mucha following a grant of £66,000 to local charity, PHSYICAL.

Wiktoria Mucha, 18, from Blairgowrie has cerebral palsy and is a member of Perth Strathtay Harriers which is one of the many partner organisations and sports clubs that PHYSICAL will work with as part of their Young Start funded ‘Positive Beginnings’ project.

Over the next three years hundreds of young people from Perth & Kinross will be able to access coaching opportunities, accredited courses, volunteering opportunities, one to one mentoring and peer support.

Welcoming the news Wiktoria said: “I enjoy race-running as it improves your overall fitness and emotional well-being. I’m looking forward to taking part in Positive Beginnings as I think it will help me with my confidence by meeting other people and learning new skills.”

PHYSICAL trustee Jim Hunter added: “This Young Start grant will allow us to evolve and grow our ‘Positive Beginnings’ programme. Young disabled people, like Wiktoria, will be at the centre of this process and involved throughout.

“It will help each young person develop lifelong skills and knowledge through the platform of sport and physical activity. This cash boost goes a long way to help us reach the financial target for this project.”

Meanwhile, Dundee Football Club in the Community Trust receives £95,624 to help build the confidence, skills and future employment prospects of young people aged between 15 and 24.

The project will create a safe space for young people to access work placements and further education opportunities whilst using their local knowledge to plan and deliver activities for their communities.

Over two years, it will support 45 young people who will create, design and benefit from the programme.

Welcoming the news, Greg Fenton, Community Manager, Dundee FC In The Community Trust, said: “We are delighted with the news of our Young Start grant, which will help us achieve what we set out as a charity to Deliver Change and Transform Lives in our community.

“This project will give young people a fantastic chance in life and, working with our team and partners, this will increase their positive life chances and support them into further education and/or employment.

“The Trust have guaranteed to employ some of the young people on full time and part time contracts from the programme for a full year, so they can give back to their community whilst transforming their lives and the lives of other young people.”

Young Start awards dormant bank and building society cash to youth-led projects across Scotland and is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “At a time when young people are understandably concerned about their futures, it’s great to see that today’s Young Start funding will provide access to accredited courses, volunteering and training opportunities.

“This in turn will help to grow the confidence of many young people like Wiktoria who will lead from the front and realise their full potential.”

Groups wanting to know more about Young Start, and how it can support them during these unprecedented times should telephone 0141 846 0447 or visit  https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/youngstart 

City projects share £635,000 Lottery cash

30 groups in Edinburgh are today sharing in £635,368 of National Lottery funding. Stepping Stones North Edinburgh is among those celebrating this morning – the project based on Pilton Drive North has received over £163,000.

Stepping Stones North Edinburgh will use their lottery grant to provide support to families experiencing challenging circumstances. It’s expected that up to 230 local people will benefit over the three years of funding and the funding will also provide volunteering opportunities.

TNLCF September Awards

Upward Mobility today receives £37,767 of funding, raised by National Lottery players, to provide a range of support and learning opportunities to adults with learning disabilities and autism.

Welcoming the funding, Andrew Thomson, Chief Executive, Upward Mobility Ltd, said: “The team at Upward Mobility are very grateful to have been awarded National Lottery Community Funding to enable us to support our students within their homes during this period of lock down and restrictions on group activities.

“Being able to take support services to our students enables us to maintain contact and help to reduce the feeling of isolation and anxiety experienced during these challenging times. We would wish to thank the National Lottery players for their donations enabling us to carry on this vital work.”

Street Fit Scotland receives £9,584  to provide a range of support for homeless and vulnerably housed people across the city.

Michelle Reilly, Founder/Chief Executive, Street Fit Scotland, said: “We are very grateful to receive this National Lottery funding which has enabled us to support the homeless community in Edinburgh to start to recover from lockdown. 

“We are now actively providing a variety of outdoor socially distanced fitness sessions again at the meadows. It’s great to see the community connecting again whilst getting fitter and having fun together after experiencing such a tough time.”

And Sikh Sanjog receives £8,400  to conduct research through to December 2020 which will investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the Sikh communities across Scotland.

Trishna Singh OBE, Director, Sikh Sanjog, said: “Sikh Sanjog is the only Family Sikh Support charity in Scotland.  

“Although being the gateway to the Sikh community in Scotland, resources have meant that research on the Sikh community has often had to take a step back to ensure focus on front line services. However, the funding awarded from the National Lottery will allow us to create a vital research project which will  provide a starting point to assess the impact that COVID-19 has had on Sikhs living in Scotland during the time of the pandemic.  

“The funding will enable us to extend the research project to cover not only the early effects the pandemic has had on the Sikh community, but also the current and future impact as we learn to adapt to this new normal.” 

Edinburgh based youth mental health charity, U-Evolve, have received a National Lottery award from The National Lottery Community Fund to ensure that young people, parents and front line professionals can access the resources they need to build good mental health, through their new online service – TALK hub.

U-Evolve, which was established in 2015, works with young people age 11-18 years old, providing 1:1 therapeutic coaching, youth mental health awareness workshops and training for frontline professionals, such as teachers and youth workers. This person centred, holistic support ensures that young people have the resources and environments they need to thrive. 

The TALK hub will be a virtual one stop shop for trusted resources and tools to support good mental health and wellbeing. These resources for young people, their parents and teachers will include a series of videos and podcasts responding to the questions and concerns U-Evolve hear most.

John*, one of the young people U-Evolve support said: “I am much more positive and happier with myself and how I look at the lockdown. I’m now back at work and felt rejuvenated coming back into work.

“My family and friends all noted drastic changes in my mood. To quote one of them, “You looked different than usual.”, when I question what was different, they said “You’re just radiating positivity.”

“This was when I realised that the help from U-evolve had affected more than just my thoughts and feelings towards being isolated, but that I felt more confident as myself and that I was able to get through a difficult time (albeit with some help) and that I could feel proud of myself for persevering and reflecting on myself as a whole.”

Becky Duff, U-Evolve’s CEO said: “We are delighted to receive this award from the National Lottery Community Fund. This support means that we can create our TALK hub and reach more young people and families than ever before.

“We’re seeing first- hand the impact the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have on young people and their families, and it’s more important than ever that these people can access the support they need, when they need it.”

*name changed for anonymity

Other Edinburgh and Leith projects to receive good news this morning include the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, Pilmeny Youth Centre, The Junction and the Men of Leith & District Men’s Shed group.

Announcing today’s funding of £5.5m to 257 projects across Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “In these uncertain times our priority is to ensure that National Lottery money continues to flow to charities, voluntary sector organisations and grassroots groups.

“I would like to congratulate Upward Mobility, Street Fit Scotland and Sikh Sanjog on their awards.  Each are important projects which will support people now and in the future when they can physically come back together to make great things happen in their community.”

“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       

Lottery cash for Granton Castle Walled Garden

Lottery boost for Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

The Friends’ group’s Gillean Paterson explained: “We received £10,000 from the National Lottery to match fund the grant from The Robertson Trust.

“The money is specifically to employ a Community Project Development Officer for one year to put in place plans for the garden.

“These include more community veg growing, a green gym, planting a miniforest to increase biodiversity, longer opening times – and that’s just to begin with!”

A busy year ahead for the Walled Garden team!

Edinburgh’s creative community adapting work during COVID-19

Edinburgh based creative projects Neu Reekie and Out of the Blueprint are among 68 projects across Scotland who have received a total of £1.6million from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund, to reimagine work and create new opportunities during COVID-19.  

Neu Reekie has been rethinking its year-long 10th anniversary programme, adapting and refocusing plans to reach audiences digitally.  

Kevin Williamson, Co-founder, Neu Reekie said: “For our 10th year we organised our fullest, most diverse, and most ground-breaking programme of events to date in Edinburgh, with a year-long series of core shows, as well an ambitious tour of Scotland’s towns and islands. 

“All of these have had to be postponed because of coronavirus. To this end we’ve marked Edwin Morgan’s centenary with a live streamed show on the weekend of his birthday which was conceptualised and programmed in the same unique way we do for our live shows.

“We’re hosting the Scottish leg of the BBC’s Words First talent development scheme over the summer months to help discover new spoken word talent; as well as launching a public appeal for new commissioned work from poets.  

“We’ll be at the ready to re-organise our core events, our national tour, and collaborative events when the coast is clear.” 

Social enterprise and print studio, Out of the Blueprint is developing Walk Don’t Walk, an exhibition of work by 20 young illustrators and comic-makers. 

Originally imagined as a summer presentation at Leith’s Drill Hall, plans are now underway to showcase work on the streets of Leith. 

Johnny Gaily, Manager at Out of the Blueprint, said: “There’s a real need this summer to put art and community up front and central, and I can’t think of a better way than to showcase some of the amazing young talent we’re working with.”  

Joan Parr, Director of Arts and Engagement at Creative Scotland said: “COVID-19 has had such a significant impact on artists and organisations working across the country that it is sometimes difficult to think positively at this time.

“We’re therefore pleased to share news of these projects where artists have been able to adapt their practices and work, finding new and engaging ways to connect with audiences and contribute to our national wellbeing in these challenging circumstances.” 

Image: Out of the Blueprint exhibition opening. Credit: Out of the Blueprint

Lottery boost for Edinburgh groups

Two Edinburgh groups supporting communities in different ways during the COVID-19 pandemic are the most recent recipients of cash from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) receives an award of £10,000 to support children and families who are shielding due to ongoing health conditions.

Welcoming the funding, Victoria Buchanan, Deputy Director of Fundraising at ECHC, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund for their incredibly generous contribution towards our COVID-19 Emergency Appeal.

“This is a particularly difficult time for families known to the Sick Kids hospital as they are having to cope with the impact of the pandemic on top of the distress of having a sick or injured child.

“Thanks to donations like this, ECHC is helping to ease anxiety and bring comfort to families both in hospital and shielding at home through the provision of Emergency Care Packs filled with food, toiletries, arts and crafts and books – giving them a few less things to worry about.

“Thank you for standing beside children, young people and families when they need it the most.”

Claire Narrie, 32, from Bonnyrigg, has been shielding at home with her husband, John and son Josh (2) for the past three months.  Claire said: “Our son Josh has congenital heart disease and chronic lung disease and we have had to shield with him pretty much since he was born.

“Getting the care package was such a help as we didn’t want to risk going out and I was emotional when we got it delivered as it was a real act of kindness.  Josh was so excited to open the arts and crafts and it was a real surprise for him.  It really helped alleviate the stress we were going through and was a real lifeline which provided us with a link to the outside world.”

An award of £4,500 means that Passion4Fusion can run a series of online learning sessions and virtual classroom sessions for young people from BME communities living in Edinburgh and West Lothian.

Jonathan Ssentamu, Community Development Worker, Passion4Fusion, said: We are delighted that this funding from National Lottery Awards for All will help out community to thrive in Edinburgh and West Lothian.

“The project is being delivered by a group of staff, peer volunteers and young people who are peer leaders and who fully involved in the development and implementation of the programme. We envisage that this project and funding will put smiles again on the faces of BME young people and their families.”

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said:  “I’d like to congratulate Edinburgh Hospital Children’s Charity and Passion4Fusion on their funding which has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

“This funding will make a huge difference to the lives of many people and reminds us all how important a package of tailored support can be to improve well-being and keep people connected.”

£1.5m National Lottery boost for Scottish Groups

Over 220 arts, sports and community groups across Scotland are sharing in a National Lottery cash boost of £1,570,035 announced today.

 The funding comes from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland – a quick and simple way to access small National Lottery grants of between £500 and £10,000.

Three Edinburgh-based organisations received funding in the latest round. Citadel Arts Group receives £5620 to produce a new play, ‘Beyond The Ash Tide’, about coping with loss and bereavement, and there’s £9900 for Indian Arts Connection, who plan to produce a festival showcasing the best of British talent in the field of classical music and dance.

Finally, Scottish Child Law Centre is awarded ££5929 to stage their annual conference, which this year focuses on teh rights of children and yong people with additional support needs.

Thanks to an award of £6,552, the Amputee Football Association Scotland will be able to appoint a Development Officer who will with both the senior and junior teams over the next 12 months as they prepare to take part in major events in Scotland and Poland.

Ashley Reid, Founder and CEO, Amputee Football Association Scotland, said: ‘This is an enormously exciting year for amputee football in Scotland.

“Not only will we host the nation’s first ever junior residential ever junior residential football camp, but we will see our Scotland squad compete for the first time in the Amputee Football European Championships in Krakow in September.

“Neither of these life-changing events would be possible without the support of The National Lottery, which has given us the means to grow the game of amputee football in Scotland from grassroots to international level.”

Dundee City Disability Sport will use their award of £7,500 to run training sessions for all of their coaches which will help them deliver a wider range of sporting activities for people with physical, learning and sensory disabilities across the city.

Stuart Gray, Chairperson, Dundee City Disability Sport, said: ‘On behalf of everyone we would like to express our gratitude to National Lottery players for this wonderful award.

“This funding means we can work with our member clubs to develop new programmes, support coach education and buy much needed equipment.”

An award of £9,790 means that Elgin Amateur Athletic Club can celebrate their 50th birthday in style by taking their athletes to training camps in athletic venues across Scotland to use their facilities.

The club will also be able to organise a series of events later in the year for the wider community to join in the celebrations.

Scott Hamilton, Head Coach and Chair, Elgin Amateur Athletic Club, said: We have nearly 100 members with 40 competing regularly at a high level.  These camps will provide them with the skills and experience they need to take it to the next level.

“This funding is essential for us and now we are looking forward to the year ahead and to celebrating our half century as a club with lots of excitement and hope for the future.”

 A National Lottery Awards for All Scotland spokesperson said: “This is National Lottery money making a real impact in communities across the country.

“The variety and scope of the 222 groups receiving funding today showcases the wide range of projects that can be funded through this programme and the difference that the smallest amounts of money can make.”

National Lottery Awards for All Scotland awards grants of between £300 and £10,000 to local groups.

To find out how what it could do for your community visit our website  https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/ or phone 0300 123 7110.

Cost Of The School Day UK rollout

  • Child Poverty Action Group awarded funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to remove barriers to learning for children from low-income backgrounds
  • Children in hard-up families are facing barriers to learning opportunities
  • Parents are increasingly asked to contribute to the costs of a school day

A £2 million National Lottery-backed project to support children’s learning and ease financial pressure on low-income parents has begun with 128 schools across the UK set to take action over the next three years.

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), working with project partners Children North East, will use the National Lottery funding to help schools remove the financial barriers to learning and participation that hold low-income children back, alongside easing the pressure that school-related costs place on struggling families.

The project will draw on previous work by both organisations that has helped schools to explore and address the impact of poverty on education.

Now, thanks to the National Lottery funding, UK Cost of the School Day will roll out to schools in Coventry, Neath Port Talbot, the London boroughs of Greenwich, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, as well as expanding to Moray in Scotland.

Through a structured, pupil-led approach, UK Cost of the School Day project staff will work with children and young people, families, teachers, school staff and local authorities to identify ‘cost barriers’ in each school – and to co-design ‘action plans’ to remove them.

Inclusion levels and changes in pupils’ experiences of school will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention throughout the first two years of the project, with the final year focussing on spreading changes that have a positive impact for pupils, beyond the initial 128 schools.

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “School days are supposed to be the best days of a child’s life, but instead for some children and their families, they can be a source of anxiety if there are extra and unexpected costs for parents.

“Nine children in every class of 30 are growing up in poverty and although school is free, increasing costs are putting a great strain on families, causing some children to miss out on aspects of school life.

“This is why we’re delighted with the funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. This project will help schools work out what they can do differently to help to bridge these gaps – by making small changes to school life, they can make a huge difference to a child.”

Pupils and staff in schools which have been involved in the earlier Children North East and CPAG in Scotland projects reported a range of cost-barriers to learning, including:

  • Subject costs (e.g. materials for Art, Home Economics, IT, and the cost of theatre trips for Drama)
  • Not having IT at home for homework
  • Lack of money for school trips
  • Lack of money for travel-to-school fares (or travel home from after school activities which end after the free bus has left)
  • Cost of buying past exam papers and other revision materials
  • Cost of hiring and maintaining a musical instrument

A range of bespoke changes were recommended by these projects, to stop financial exclusion at school, including:

  • Choosing more affordable school trips, subsidising trips and/ or allowing parents to pay for trips in instalments
  • Providing sibling discounts for fun events and trips
  • Removing curriculum costs for subjects like home economics and technology
  • Providing a starter pack for entry level pupils of bag, pencil case and stationery and setting up homework clubs with resources such as IT
  • Reviewing school uniform policies, recycling school uniform items, buying plain blazers and ironing on badges
  • Improved promotion of school clothing grants and free school meals
  • Sharing bus hire with nearby schools
  • Setting up breakfast clubs and breakfast boxes for pupils
  • Reducing or removing costs for after school clubs and activities

John Knights, Senior Head of the UK Portfolio at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:“Thanks to National Lottery players this project will support school children to be able to fully and equally take part in all aspects of school life.

“Importantly the project is putting young people in the lead to create solutions that reduce the stigma that they can feel and enable them to thrive.”

Michele Deans, Operations Director at Children North East said: “Children North East is enormously proud of our Poverty Proofing the School Day initiative and we’re delighted to be partnering with Child Poverty Action Group on this important work.

“We’re looking forward to using our combined expertise to support more schools across the UK and ensure that every pupil can fully participate in school, regardless of family income.”

Future young leaders to benefit from £1.4 m boost

Scottish youth projects putting young people front and centre of their work are today sharing in £1.4m from the Young Start fund. 

Amongst the 25 projects receiving the dormant account and building society cash is Youth Vision in Edinburgh which receives £76,000 to get young people outdoors taking part in educational activities that boost their physical and mental health.

Young leaders, like 21-year-old committee member, James, will support the planning and delivery of the programme while taking part in training and achieving qualifications.

James, who joined Youth Vision at the age of 13 after experiencing mental health difficulties, said: “Before I joined the project, I was severely depressed. I was having a horrendous time at school and was badly bullied. It wasn’t until much later that I got a diagnosis of Asperger’s and Autistic spectrum disorder, so for a long time I felt quite low and isolated.

“The project is special because it gave me something to put my focus into – I was already quite an outdoorsy person, but the one to one support and skills I learned such as, chopping wood, starting fires, tool safety and gardening, were great things for me to get started with.”

Now on the committee, James attributes much of his personal and career development to the project. He said, “I would never have seen myself as a leader before joining and I certainly would not have seen myself teaching people new skills – let alone enjoying it! It’s important for young voices to heard so we are very excited about this funding.”

Wester Hailes-based About Youth have received £75.000. The group will use the funding to run a programme of youth work activities for young people aged 8-19 living in The Calders area.

This will include three weekly youth groups, holiday activity programmes, outreach projects, training opportunities, and one to one support. The
project will benefit 290 young people and involve 9 volunteers over 3 years.

Also welcoming their Young Start grant today is Sports Futures Trust who will use an award of £76,995 to deliver a youth-led health and wellbeing community programme, for vulnerable children living in the north east of Glasgow.

Led by a team of Young Leaders, this will include physical activities and training opportunities, coupled with nutritional and wellbeing advice for young people and their families.

Welcoming the funding, Project Lead, Jim Boyd, said: “SSF are delighted to receive the Young Start funding for the next two years.  The investment means we can support children and young people to make positive changes in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing while building better connections with their local community.”

Young Start is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund and awards dormant bank and building society cash to projects led by and for young people, to help build their confidence and reach their potential.

Announcing the funding, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “I am very pleased to announce this funding, which will help children and young people to have their voices heard while growing in confidence and develop new skills. 

“The Young Start programme creates opportunities for children and young people to achieve their potential and every one of these projects reflects that aim.”

Groups wanting to know more about Young Start should visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/young-start or contact 0300 123 7110.