Tag: Venture Scotland

Venture Scotland calls out for votes to bag a share of Tesco’s community fund

Venture Scotland is bidding for a cash boost from the Tesco Community Grants initiative. Tesco works with community charity Groundwork to run its community funding scheme, which sees grants of up to £1,500, £1,000 and £500 awarded to local community projects.

Three groups in every community have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

Venture Scotland is one of the groups on the shortlist and is seeking funding to replace their water-based kit. Venture Scotland is a charity operating in Glasgow and Edinburgh which uses nature and the outdoors to spark discovery, development and deep thinking in young people who are struggling with their mental health.

They run a long-term, 4 stage programme, known as The Journey, which focuses on developing mental health awareness, resilience, confidence and practical life skills. Every week, the young people take part in group-based outdoor activity days, such as canoeing, hillwalking and rock climbing, interactive group sessions and 1-to-1 support sessions with staff. 

“Most of our young people have never been outside of their local community and have never experienced the adventure, tranquillity and transformative effect of regular outdoor activity. Our project will help improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of young people in our communities and improve their chance of a living a happier, healthier and more fulfilled life.”

Voting is open in Edinburgh Tesco stores from early April and customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.

Tesco’s Community Grants scheme has already awarded over £100 million to more than 50,000 projects across Britain. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every three months, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

Tony McElroy, Tesco’s Head of Communications in Scotland, said: “Tesco Community Grants help support local good causes but especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”

Emma Halliday, Community Enabler Coordinator at greenspace Scotland, which supports Tesco Community Grant applicants and successful projects in Scotland, said: “Tesco Community Grants continues to give local projects the boost they need to help their communities thrive.

“By funding services which support young people and reduce food poverty, we hope to facilitate positive change from the ground up across the UK. We are pleased to have been able to help so many local good causes over the years and look forward to seeing what community organisations can achieve in the future with the right resources.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online.

To find out more visit www.tesco.com/communitygrants.

National Lottery funds Venture Scotland’s Journey programme

Today Leith-based charity, Venture Scotland, is celebrating receiving nearly £100,000 in funding over 3 years from The National Lottery Community Fund, made possible by National Lottery players.

Since 1989, Venture Scotland has used the outdoors as a vehicle to transform the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of Young People across the Central Belt of Scotland. Every year, their small team delivers four, progressive outdoor-based personal development programmes, known as the “Journey”, to over 50 Young People who are facing challenges to their mental health.

Venture Scotland utilise Scotland’s natural environments to deliver group-based outdoor activities, such as gorge walking, kayaking and hill climbing, alongside groupwork, 1-to-1 support sessions and remote bothy residentials.

Venture Scotland’s ethos is to use the outdoor experience to help our Young People gain confidence, overcome challenges, and discover their potential – all of which they can channel into their daily lives.

The National Lottery Community Fund has made it possible for their graduate Young People to give back to Venture Scotland and has ensured that Young People are at the heart of our organisation.

Venture Scotland’s innovative Ambassador Programme has embedded four of our graduate Young People at all levels of Venture Scotland:

  • They attend and offer feedback at our Board meetings;
  • Support our fundraising team;
  • Help our Outreach Worker engage with new Young People;
  • Volunteer with our delivery team on activity days;
  • And have helped recruit new staff and trustees.

Most importantly, Venture Scotland’s Ambassadors bring their “lived experience” to motivate and inspire the project’s young people and ensure that their wellbeing is at the heart of everything VS we does.

Jo graduated from Venture Scotland’s Journey Programme in 2019. Before Venture Scotland, Jo was stuck in a cycle of self-destruction and experienced crippling anxiety, eating disorders and isolation.

After completing our Journey Programme, Jo became a Venture Scotland Ambassador; she has this to say about the Programme:

“The Ambassador Programme has given me a purpose and structure in these turbulent times, a chance to connect with people, learn new skills, keep up old ones and a chance to give back to a place and people that changed my life. It has given me hope; something to hold on to.”

The National Lottery Community Fund will allow us to officially launch our Ambassador Programme to a whole new generation of Young People and will ensure that Venture Scotland is the best it can be.

The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “National Lottery funding can make amazing things happen in local communities across the country.

“This project delivered by Venture Scotland is a great example of community activity in action, showing just what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause or to help others. National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is helping to support this vital work and to help communities thrive.” 

Venture Scotland’s CEO, David Brackenridge added: “Our Ambassador programme has put the voices of young people at the heart of our organisation and this has already had a transformational effect.

“So often, our Ambassadors have given us a whole new perspective on the work we do and the decisions we make and this has changed the way we operate, govern ourselves and has shaped our strategy going forward.

“I already can’t imagine them not being an integral part of Venture Scotland. A massive thanks to the National Lottery for funding this programme and for ensuring we can grow and develop it with young people.”

Scotmid Community Connect cash for three local projects

Three charities based in the East of Scotland have been awarded £8,500 each, thanks to Scotmid Co-operative’s Community Connect award scheme.

Children with Cancer & Leukaemia Advice and Support for Parents (CCLASP), the Citadel Arts Group and Venture Scotland, secured the funding after being shortlisted by the convenience retailer as one of nine good causes across Scotland to receive financial support from a total pot of £75,000.

Edinburgh-based Venture Scotland, a charity which provides young people aged between 16 and 30, who are struggling with life, the chance to take part in a personal development course based in the outdoors, expressed their gratitude at receiving the lifeline funding.

David Brackenridge, CEO of Venture Scotland, said: “The pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone. However, it has been particularly hard for young people who were already struggling with their mental health before we went into lockdown.

“Scotmid’s generous funding will allow us to continue to support disadvantaged young people through our outdoors based personal development Journey programmes, to enable them to lead happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives.”

Since Scotmid’s Community Connect launched in 2017, more than £450,000 has been awarded to 54 good cause groups enabling key projects to come to life in local areas.

Harry Cairney, Chair of East Regional Committee at Scotmid, said: “The pandemic has created numerous challenges for communities to overcome and adapt to.

“Community Connect was established to enable us to extend the ways in which we can support the communities that we serve, and we are delighted to provide Venture Scotland, CCLASP and the Citadel Arts Centre, with this funding as they continue to provide vital support to their communities.”

CCLASP has provided vital support for families living with a child with cancer for the last 25 years. They offer families respite holidays at their cottage in Muthill. These holidays provide an oasis of peace for families at their darkest of times and any funds will be used to keep this amazing offering open to families needing a break.

Based in Leith for the last 10 years, Citadel Arts Group stimulates and expresses the creativity of older people through stories, memory books and lively dramas helping to celebrate the history of Leith. Funding will be used to create audio plays inspired by the stories to entertain the whole community.

In normal times, Scotmid would typically select a shortlist of community projects which its members then vote on to allocate different amounts of funding.

However, due to the pandemic, the Scotmid Board agreed that all shortlisted charities and community groups would receive equal amounts of funding within each region.