Brothers and sisters to re-unite thanks to National Lottery funding

Scotland’s only service which helps to re-unite siblings who have been separated in the care system is set to continue and expand its work thanks to a National Lottery cash boost announced today (WEDNESDAY 21 AUGUST).

Amongst the nine groups sharing in £881k from The National Lottery Community Fund is Siblings Reunited (STAR). The charity receives £60,000 to provide volunteer supervised contact for siblings separated through foster care, residential care, adoption or kinship care. The project operates from a farm near Cupar and the children have access to an animal enclosure, a nearby beach and a wide range of creative outdoor activities, giving them lots of opportunities to play and spend quality time together.

See a full list of all awards made today.

Eileen Black, Trustee, STAR, said, “Every time we see the look on these young peoples’ faces, the joy and anticipation of meeting their siblings, who they may not have seen for weeks, months or even years, is a reminder why STAR is so important. What they get out of these visits is immeasurable and having regular, positive contact with their siblings can have a profound effect on their behaviour and emotional well-being.”

Lead Supervisor, STAR, Peter Melville, said, “In my role I get to witness first-hand the huge difference we make and thanks to National Lottery players we can continue to grow and reach out to more separated and estranged brothers and sisters throughout Scotland.”

In Lossiemouth, Friendly Access (SCIO) will expand their specialised programme of adaptive surf and swim group sessions for young people with hidden or physical disabilities after an award of £100,000. The funding means the group will increase the number of locations they work in across Moray and Aberdeenshire.

Glyn Morris, Chief Executive, Friendly Access, said, “We are hugely delighted and indebted with the recognition received from The National Lottery Community Fund. We are very proud of our SurfABLE and SwimABLE Scotland projects and equally of our surf and swim athletes and volunteers who have supported and placed their trust in us.

“Based in North East Scotland and serving everyone regardless of disability or condition, we are Scotland’s only adaptive surf school which, as it happens, is also delivering the world’s most northerly surf therapy programme. I’m just so excited for the team and all involved as we now find ourselves in very privileged position and capable of reaching our full potential.”

Announcing the funding, Maureen McGinn, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, said: “Congratulations to the nine groups benefitting from £881,107 of National Lottery funding today. Among these are two projects providing the only services of their type available for children and young people in Scotland.

“One helps to re-unite siblings and offers a safe, supportive environment in which they can spend valuable time together. The other gives young people a chance to learn new skills and enjoy the exhilaration of being in the water. We are proud to be able to support work like this thanks to money raised by National Lottery players.”

Last year The National Lottery Community Fund gave out over £48m of National Lottery funding to community projects across Scotland. Over 1130 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life. To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk