Million-pound boost to improve the physical and mental health of Young Scots

Projects supporting young Scots with their physical and mental health and are today (WED 26 JANUARY) sharing in almost £1 million of dormant bank account funding.

The cash from the Young Start fund goes to 12 groups across the country including West of Scotland based Able2Sail which offers sailing voyages and qualifications for young people of all abilities and Feeling Strong, a youth mental health charity giving a voice to young people in Dundee.

See full list of awards here - January awards.

Young Start, delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, awards dormant bank account funding to projects that help young people reach their full potential.

Originally set up in 2006 for people and families affected by disability, Able2Sail runs a Youth Forum where young people develop their sailing and team working skills while working together towards a sailing qualification.

Today the group receives an award of £51,448 to enable members of its youth forum to take part in yacht, dinghy and powerboating sessions when restrictions allow.

Welcoming the news, Gordon Tatnell, Chair of Able2Sail, said: “This Young Start award is wonderful news. It means we can continue our Youth Forum project over the next three years. Our young people are absolutely delighted and cannot wait to get back on the water and into training.”

With an award of £99,911, Feeling Strong will deliver a recovery-focused mental health service for young people in Dundee. The service will include peer mentoring, advice and support with employment and training opportunities and access to therapeutic activities such as sports and arts sessions.

Brook Marshall, CEO of Feeling Strong, said: "We're so excited to be running our new range of projects, enabled by the Young Start fund, for the benefit of some of Dundee's most vulnerable young people. These projects will work with young people with mental health and wellbeing challenges to support their recovery journeys and give them the holistic, wraparound support that's needed to make sure they're able to move forward in a positive and meaningful way."

Announcing today’s awards totalling £946,347, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “This funding will give a huge boost to hundreds of young people across Scotland who now more than ever need a focus and something to look forward to when restrictions allow. Whether it’s a project supporting young people with their mental health or a sports activity leading to a recognised qualification, each one will provide a fantastic opportunity for young Scots to build key skills and confidence for the future.

“We are always keen to support projects which put young people front and centre in the development and running of services. If your group has an idea for funding, then we’d love to hear from you.”

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.

Contacts:

The National Lottery Community Fund press office

Landa.sullivan@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or 0141 242 1458/ 07823 552889

Website:www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Twitter:@TNLComFundScot #NationalLottery

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TNLCommunityFundScotland

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.
• The National Lottery Community Fund are the largest community funder in the UK awarding money, raised by National Lottery players, to local communities. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.
• 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.