Scottish youth charity awarded £60,000 to fund lifechanging Arctic adventures

The Polar Academy has today (WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH) been awarded funding from the Young Start programme to continue delivering their annual programme of training to children from all over Scotland, which ultimately results in an expedition to Greenland.

The £60,000 awarded to the charity is part of a total of more than £1.5 million awarded to 19 Scottish organisations supporting children, teenagers and young adults across the country.

Young Start, delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, awards dormant bank account funding to projects that help young people reach their full potential.   See a full list of projects attached (PDF 133KB).

The Polar Academy works with “invisible” kids - shy or awkward youngsters that struggle with their confidence, or may be victims of bullying, have anxiety, depression or have suffered bereavement. Each year, the charity works with around 30 young Scots in an intensive one year physical and mental training programme culminating in a winter expedition in Greenland.

Holly Carroll, aged 16 from Dundee, took part in last year’s programme and says the experience has improved her life exponentially.

Holly explained: “When the guys from The Polar Academy came to my school to talk about the expeditions, I was so shy. I wasn’t having a great time in school – I was really anxious, had been bullied, and was generally just very reserved. When my mum and I went to speak to the team I remember I just hid behind her and cried – even just talking to people was hard for me back then.”

“When I found out I’d been selected to be in the expedition, it was literally the happiest moment of my life. I cried again, but this time, with happiness.

“The Greenland expedition itself was the best thing I’ve ever done. It was beautiful, the culture was amazing, and I can’t believe how much I’ve grown in myself. I’ve genuinely come back a different person – before I couldn’t even bring myself to go to school most days, but in doing this, I managed to get on two aeroplanes and a helicopter to trek across Arctic Greenland.

“I feel like I can do anything now. I’m so much more confident and I’m actually excited about my future now where before the expedition, I couldn’t really think about the next week of my life, let alone next year.”

Craig Mathieson, Founder and Managing Director of The Polar Academy said: "We are truly grateful to receive Young Start funding this year to help us support more and more struggling teenagers. We aim to help transform them into confident, independent and strong individuals, prepared to tackle whatever life challenges they face in the future.

“Holly is now such a different girl from when we first met her - before the programme started, she was crushed with anxiety, could make no eye contact or speak to anyone, hiding behind her mum. Now she is everything - she has her future planned out, she is fundraising to come back to Greenland with us, has motivated others to join her in taking part in Duke of Edinburgh, has reversed low academic levels with exceptional grades, and above all, excels at her natural and incredible gift of writing poetry. We are incredibly proud of what Holly and her teammates have all achieved"

Announcing today’s funding, The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to continue funding such a broad range of vital projects for young people all over Scotland. Young people like Holly sharing their stories reminds us how important these groups are, and how many young lives are improved by Young Start funding.

 “We are always keen to support projects that put Scotland’s young people at the heart of the development and running of services. If your group has an idea how you would make this happen, then we’d love to hear from you.”

Young Start helps young people aged eight to 24 become more confident and play an active part in realising their potential. Funding of up to £100,000 is available for youth led projects. Groups can apply by emailing advicescotland@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or calling 0300 123 7110.

Find out more at: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/young-start

Date published: 13 March, 2024
Region: Scotland

Notes to Editors

Under the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008, the Reclaim Fund releases funds from dormant bank accounts to the National Lottery Community Fund for distribution to good causes across the UK.

Dormant accounts are defined in the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008 as those which have seen no customer-initiated activity for at least 15 years.

The Reclaim Fund Ltd. (RFL), which was established in March 2011 to receive and invest dormant account balances across the UK, transferred the first tranche of monies from dormant bank and building society accounts to the National Lottery Community Fund on 2 August 2011. Scotland receives 8.4% of the total funds distributed.

We are the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. National Lottery players raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK**. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £43 billion has been raised for good causes which has supported over 635,000 projects***, benefiting millions of people - that’s 255 projects per postcode area.

We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

Young Start

Helping young people aged eight to 24 to become more confident and play an active part in realising their potential.