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Vulnerable families are set to benefit from new funding to support households in financial hardship – and North Edinburgh’s L.I.F.T is one of seven projects aimed at tackling child poverty to receive a share of the new £450,000 fund.
LIFT (Low Income Families Together), based in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre, will receive over £70,000.
The money is a part of the Every Child, Every Chance Innovation Fund, which is jointly supported by the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation.
The fund aims to support innovative approaches which could have an impact on reducing child poverty by 2030. The projects range from job training and a befriending service, to school-based mentoring and support for lone parents.
One of the successful projects is Stepwell, a social business based in Inverclyde, which provides support to people in the local community with health and finance issues as well as training and employment opportunities.
At a visit to meet staff and service users, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We are committed to tackling child poverty and are always looking for new ways to support households and families in financial hardship. No child or adult should have their chances limited by poverty.
“It has been great to hear about the approach being taken by Stepwell to tackle child poverty in Inverclyde. Their method aims to get to the root cause of any hardship and through encouragement, support and training, families can begin to change their lives.”
Steven Watson Chief Executive Officer at Stepwell, said: “Stepwell is absolutely committed to tackling child poverty in Inverclyde. Through our Whole Life approach, we focus on providing person-centred support, offering vocational and accredited training and ‘real’ business work placements within our social businesses.
“We are so grateful to The Hunter Foundation and Scottish Government for partnering with us.”
The Innovation Fund is a joint fund between the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation, each contributing £5 million and £2.5 million respectively over the life of Every Child, Every Chance.
The below table details the organisations awarded funding for 2018/19
| New organisations via application | Award – 2018/19 |
| Clyde Gateway | £9,900 |
| Covey Befriending | £11,994 |
| L.I.F.T | £70,177 |
| MCR Pathways – Scottish Mentoring Programme | £97,000 |
| Midlothian Sure Start | £121,914 |
| North Lanarkshire Council | £41,000 |
| Stepwell | £99,900
|
| Total £451,885 |
An update on all actions committed to within the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan will be published by the end of June 2019.
Grants for Scottish businesses expanded
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced £2 million is now available to help even more businesses in Scotland prepare for Brexit.
The Brexit Support Grant, administered by Scottish Enterprise, will now be available to help small and medium sized businesses manage a wide range of Brexit impacts with funding of up to £4000 each. The grant, previously only open to exporters, is now available to SME’s in Scotland for a wider variety of Brexit preparation.
The grant can be accessed by businesses employing up to 250 staff and can be used for activities including consultancy support, professional fees, external training, and international market research.
The announcement was made during a visit to Allied Vehicles in Glasgow where the First Minister met with the company and one of their suppliers, the manufacturing firm William Johnston, to discuss concerns about Brexit and how the two businesses are preparing.
The First Minister said: “Businesses like Allied Vehicles and William Johnston are critical to Scotland’s economy and it is unacceptable that they are facing this level of uncertainty so close to the UK leaving the EU.
“The Scottish Government is firmly opposed to Brexit and we continue to hope that it can be avoided, but with every passing day, the UK Government is getting closer to taking our economy off the cliff.
“Scottish Government analysis shows that all Brexit outcomes will damage our economy so it is essential businesses prepare for a range of scenarios. This funding goes hand in hand with practical support and advice and I encourage business to take advantage of this assistance.
“We will continue to work with our partners in the coming weeks and months to do what we can to minimise the impact Brexit will have on our economy and communities.”
Sandy McEwan, Managing Director at William Johnston & Company, and one of the first businesses to apply for the grant, said: “Since Brexit was announced in 2016, we have been hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
“As a manufacturer we have found the Prepare for Brexit website a helpful tool for highlighting some of the issues Brexit may bring our business. Today, we are in the eye of the Brexit storm but, hopefully, this grant will help us to be in the best position possible to deal with the potential changes in the business environment.”
Allied Vehicles chairman Gerry Facenna said: “Exporting can be a real challenge for us, given currency differences and much higher transport costs than our continental competitors.
“Despite this, over the past couple of years we’ve started to gain significant traction selling our wheelchair accessible vehicles across Europe.
“We see huge potential to add another hundred or more jobs here in Glasgow through continued export growth – but the last thing we need is any form of trade barriers or tariffs, which would make it virtually impossible for us to compete effectively overseas.”
Steve Dunlop, CEO, Scottish Enterprise, said: “It is critical that Scottish businesses continue to assess the challenges presented by Brexit and take necessary action to safeguard their growth.
“Preparing your business for Brexit is about developing a flexible planning approach so you can adapt and be resilient across a range of potential Brexit outcomes. We are stepping up support with additional financial and people resource to make sure businesses have access to support that will help them meet challenges head on.”
Businesses can identify if they are eligible for the grant and find more information on how to prepare for Brexit on the Prepare for Brexit website.
The Brexit Support Grant, previously ‘International Project Support’, is now available to SMEs who do not export as well as exporters, and can be used for a much wider variety of Brexit preparation.
The Brexit Support Grant fund is £2 million – £500,000 in the 2018/19 financial year and £1.5 million in 2019/20.
An SME is an enterprise employing fewer than 250 persons with an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro and is independent.
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More than 600 jobs to be created or supported – but nowt for Edinburgh
Communities across Scotland are to benefit from a share of £20.4m to support local regeneration activity. Eighteen projects from across the country are being awarded funding in 2019/20 as part of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) – but none are from Edinburgh.
The joint Scottish Government and COSLA investment will help to support or create more than 600 jobs. It will refurbish and bring back into use 17 buildings, create more than 6,400 square metres of business space and support 64 community facilities and services which will benefit more than 150 businesses or enterprises.
Aileen Campbell, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government (above), said: “I’m really pleased that 18 fantastic, community-led projects will benefit from this significant investment. Projects right across Scotland will receive support which will regenerate their local area by stimulating inclusive growth and supporting and creating jobs.
“The projects being supported are wide ranging and collectively will help tackle inequality and support inclusive growth in disadvantaged communities and fragile rural areas.
“These projects will deliver new training places and volunteering opportunities and support new community assets. This will build community cohesion, help tackle poverty, address health inequality and provide childcare facilities while bringing back into use historic and landmark buildings.”
COSLA’s Environment and Economy Spokesperson, Councillor Steven Heddle, said: “I’m delighted to see these further projects to be funded by the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund in 2019/20. These diverse projects from local authorities across Scotland all reflect localised approaches to regeneration and will deliver strong physical, economic, and social outcomes.
“Importantly, these projects also allow councils to deliver on the regeneration aspirations of the communities they represent. It’s heartening to see the impact this fund is having and I look forward to seeing what projects come forward for funding in the future.”
View a list of the 18 projects awarded RCGF funding in 2019 to 2020.
A total of 136 projects have been recommended for support from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund since 2014/15. Funding has been confirmed for the remainder of the current parliamentary term, subject to annual spending reviews.
The fund, which has been developed in partnership with COSLA and local authorities, is open to all 32 Scottish local authorities and their Special Purpose Vehicles. An independent panel makes recommendations to the Scottish Ministers and COSLA on which projects should receive funding.
Examples of Projects Supported
Glasgow City Council Govanhill Baths Refurbishment £2,150,000
Govanhill Baths, located in the Southside Central Ward in Glasgow, is a B-listed Edwardian former public baths house, currently on the Buildings at Risk Register. Funding will support Govanhill Baths Community Trust (GBCT) towards the aim of fully reopening the baths for the local population and the people of Glasgow and key areas of this important Edwardian building to its original function.
The refurbished spaces will also support the expansion of existing social enterprise initiatives for people in Govanhill, designed to respond to the needs of local people, providing opportunities for employment, volunteering and vocational development.
Aberdeen City Council Torry Community Hub £2,000,000
The project will deliver a new purpose-built community hub in Torry. The ethos of the hub is to provide integrated services on a flexible basis in one place, which meets the community’s future needs and delivers early intervention. It will also provide a community cafe and will encourage new users to access services.
Angus Council Montrose Playhouse Project £2,260,000
This project will see the transformation of a derelict former swimming pool in the town centre of Montrose into a community hub for arts and education benefitting north Angus and lower Aberdeenshire. The Montrose Playhouse will include an adaptable three screen cinema, education and exhibition spaces, retail space and a café bar. This project is a working partnership with Montrose Playhouse Project SCIO (MPP) – a group of local volunteers, and Angus Council.
Inverclyde Council Craigend Resource Centre £1,187,129
The project will see the old centre demolished and a new facility built in its place that will better serve the people of Craigend. The new centre will include a bigger and better café area, increased laundry facilities, a large community hall, a crèche space, a small interview/meeting space and an IT and learning space.
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Grinneabhat £368 338
The project will redevelop the former Bragar School, which closed in 2013. The Grinneabhat Project, which has been developed by the community through extensive consultation, will deliver the following outcomes; the building will undergo a full refurbishment to include an exhibition space to showcase historical and cultural displays and local artists’ work and there will be a comfortable homely room as well as an outdoor community gardening space.
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Cnoc Soilleir £1,800,000
The project will support the establishment of a new state-of-the art modern building for Gaelic and cultural heritage in South Uist, including Gaidhlig language, music, dance and education. The building has been designed to become a local focal point for the community and visitors, and to meet exemplary energy efficiency standards and minimize running costs. Cnoc Soilleir (CS) is a £9.9 million transformational community-regeneration project. It is an innovative joint venture between Ceòlas, a community organization based in Daliburgh in South Uist, and Lews Castle College UHI (LCC).
Stirling Council Cowie Regeneration Project £983,600
The project will see a derelict shop on the Main Street of Cowie redeveloped to provide a community hub. The existing building will be demolished and a new two-storey building will be constructed on the site. The building will provide flexible spaces which can be used for training and development and social and community activity, with its main focus being a digital learning space for all ages. It will also include business start-up accommodation and will support flexible space for training and community activity. In addition, there will be programmes for health and wellbeing and a social café for all ages.
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