£3.8m helps Scottish groups tackle issues head on

Community projects aimed at young people affected by parental substance misuse, children affected by holiday hunger and women and young men at risk of offending are amongst those sharing in £3.8 million of National Lottery funding announced today (TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER).

The money from the National Lottery Community Fund goes to 26 community-based organisations who have taken the lead in developing ideas that help their communities thrive. See a full list of awards here.

Amongst them is Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI) which will pilot a new approach to reducing offending behaviour in the Highlands. In partnership with Police Scotland and Highland Community Justice Partnership, HTSI will use the £303,818 award to employ three staff who will work with people brought into custody, including women and young men. They will help them to link into activities, services or support available in their communities that will help them avoid a cycle of re-offending.

The project, expected to reach 600 people over three years, will meet a gap in existing services by providing additional support to help people cope with a range of contributing factors including addiction and mental health issues.

Welcoming the award, Mhairi Wylie, Chief Officer of Highland Third Sector Interface, said: “This National Lottery award is fantastic news as it completes the funding package we need to launch this new project. It is aimed at supporting individuals coming into custody to access the professional services provided by our third and public sectors, as well as a range of community based activity. The purpose of this is to support them in developing their individual resilience and life chances to help them avoid a return to custody or a spiral downwards in offending behaviour.”

A project which provides support to children and young people across Forth Valley who are affected by a family members substance misuse will be able to continue and expand its work, thanks to an award of £100,000.

Clackmannanshire based, Signpost Recovery will be able to deliver its Time 4 Us service over the next two years providing one to one counselling sessions and access to social activities and volunteering roles for vulnerable young people.

Norma Howarth, Operations Manager, Signpost Recovery, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Time 4 Us service works across Forth Valley supporting children and young people aged five to 16 years who have been affected by parental, carer or siblings substance use. Our work aims to break intergenerational cycles of substance use, and positively impact on future outcomes for children and young people, who will be supported to develop new skills to replace previous negative learned patterns of behaviour.”

Our Community Kitchen in East Lothian today receives £100,000 to continue delivering its popular community kitchen from its base in Haddington Bowling Club. The group brings people together from a wide range of backgrounds including older isolated people, those with dementia, carers and people with a terminal diagnosis. It also helps to reduce holiday hunger for local children by working with schools and the local area partnership to offer free freshly cooked food to children and families during the holidays.

Founder of Our Community Kitchen, Elaine Gale, said: “We are all absolutely delighted to hear the wonderful news that we have been successful in securing a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund. We will continue to bring people who are socially isolated and lonely around the table to eat home cooked food and allow for friendships to form naturally. This will give us the stability we need during the next three years of growth.”

Announcing the funding, Maureen McGinn, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, said: “This funding will help to address some of the most pressing issues affecting local communities in Scotland including ill mental health and addiction, food poverty and social isolation. As the National Lottery prepares to celebrate its 25th birthday today’s investment is a timely reminder of the difference that National Lottery players have and continue to make to communities across the country.”

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