Cash boost to fulfill the potential of inspiring young Scots

26 Jul 2017 12:12 PM

Young mums, authors and inspiring entrepreneurs are amongst thousands of Young Scots celebrating a £377,388 cash boost that will help them develop their skills and talents.

The investment from the Big Lottery Fund’s Young Start programme, and made possible using dormant bank and buildings account money, will be split amongst nine groups, led for and by young people.

A creative writing and illustration programme that will fulfil the potential of a future generation of Jackie Kay’s and Iain Banks’ yesterday received £50,000. The Scottish Book Trust will use the funding to develop and deliver a young writer programme which will offer seven young people aged 14  to 17 years, from across Scotland, the opportunity to develop their creative writing through a bespoke six month programme. Other parts of the project include a two day conference for 200 teenagers across Scotland to develop their skills in creative writing and illustration, as well as an online magazine giving them the opportunity to submit their writing or illustration work and have it assessed by a professional editorial board.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “’What’s Your Story?’ is a unique development programme for teenage writers and illustrators, with fantastic outcomes for those who take part. We are very grateful for the grant from the Big Lottery Fund, which will enable us to give more young people this opportunity. The programme builds confidence, supports the building of networks and connectedness among creative young people, as well as empowering them to organise and be enterprising. It’s a wonderful chance for them to grow their talent and bond with like-minded young people.”

Ormlie Community Association, based in Thurso, also yesterday received funding which will use its £27,325 award to help young mums aged 16 to 25 play a bigger part in their community whilst attending a range of activities such as healthy eating, child development and first aid workshops.

Claire Grant from Ormlie Community Association, said: “Ormlie Community Association are delighted to receive the grant from Young Start. The project will continue to deliver and support the young mums within the community of Caithness as it has for over 8 years. This grant completes the funding package required for the year ahead and will make a huge difference to all of the families involved."

Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “Young Start helps ensure that Scotland’s next generation has the best possible start in life. All of today’s seven successful projects share that ambition, so I am delighted to announce this latest investment totalling £377,388.

“The Scottish Book Trust will work with young people across the country using writing as a platform for creativity and possible career development; while in Thurso, Ormlie Community Association will run a series of activities to inspire and engage young mums. Both projects will make a big difference by supporting young people to gain the abilities, skills and confidence required for positive and healthy futures.”

Other groups receiving funding today are:

Project 31 SCIO
Award - £49,800

This project based in Rutherglen will offer 50 young people, aged between 10 and 16, support and guidance from play mentors who will teach them new skills around training, team building and personal development activities. These young people will then use their newfound knowledge and skills to support other children to play in their local areas.

Paisley YMCA
Award: £49,538

This group will support young people aged between 11 and 18 to formulate, develop and implement business ideas based on a need that they have identified within their community.

Ashfield Football and Athletic Club
Award - £30,500

This club, based in Glasgow, will use its two year grant to develop the ‘ExCEL’ Community programme which will allow 450 local children and young people to take part in football and wider sporting activity. The project will use existing coaches, as well as recruiting and developing coaches/volunteers.

Dunfermline Advocacy (SCIO)
Award - £45,939

This project will match vulnerable young people with learning disabilities to other young ‘volunteer advocates’ to improve social networks, increase self-esteem and develop confidence.

Lords Taverners Limited
Award - £33,880

This project, which has been piloted in a number of areas throughout the UK, will deliver cricket activities, sports leader qualifications and interactive health workshops to disadvantaged young people across North Glasgow, in particular Springburn and Possilpark.

Out of the Blue
Award - £48,222

This group in Edinburgh will use their funding to extend their existing café and creative-based training programmes for young people for a further two years, benefiting up to 260 young people. This will include more workshops, classes and other opportunities for young people.

Safety Zone
Award - £42,184

This group will provide a range of activities for young people living in Bargeddie. Around 150 young people aged between 12 and 20 will benefit from the activities which will help them develop confidence and improve wellbeing.

For more information about Young Start visit the website at:-

https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/scotland/young-start

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1451

Email: lorna.mcniven@biglotteryfund.org.uk

Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Twitter: @BIGScotland #BigScotland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to Editors

• 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.
• In September 2011 the Scottish Government formally issued instructions to the Big Lottery Fund to distribute dormant accounts funding for the benefit of Scotland’s voluntary and community sector.
• 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 BIG on 2 August 2011. Scotland will receive an 8.4% share of the total funds to be distributed.
• The Distribution of Dormant Account Money (Apportionment) Order 2011 prescribes that Scotland will receive 8.4% of the dormant accounts money to be made available for distribution by the Big Lottery Fund under the 2008 Act. The estimated grants budget for 2014/15 is £4.8m. It should be noted that this figure is a median projection and may go up or down.
• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Every year we fund 13,000 small local projects tackling big social problems like poor mental health and homelessness.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.