- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- 2014 Communities
- Release date:
- 30 3 2009
78 community projects share in Lottery cash
The Big Lottery Fund today announced the first round of funding from its 2014 Communities programme. The programme is the first in Scotland to make funding available for community groups and organisations to build a legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games up and down the country.
Across Scotland 78 grassroots projects are to benefit from the first set of awards that aim to support and stimulate grassroots involvement in sport and physical activity. The 2014 Communities programme from the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors is proving to be a success and attracting new groups to apply for Lottery funding with 28 per cent identified as first time applicants.
Through the programme the Big Lottery Fund hopes to encourage more people to take part and volunteer through sport or physical activity as well as using sport as a way to bring together people from different generations.
Announcing the first awards, totalling £70,116, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Alison Magee, said: “Through 2014 Communities we are investing money across the whole of Scotland in order to create a nationwide legacy. More than 90 per cent of today’s awards are for groups based outside of Glasgow and 28 per cent of those who have been successful have never applied to us before.
“We want to help promote participation in sport and in volunteering and these grants highlight a wide range of different projects so far. We’ll continue to look for new applicants and make more money available as we play our part in helping to create a lasting difference in communities across Scotland.”
The Scottish Government’s Sports Minister, Shona Robison, MSP, said: It’s extremely encouraging to see the range of activities being strengthened across Scotland's communities through these grants. These awards will encourage more people to lead healthier, active lives and really get involved in their communities, the heart of our own legacy aspirations.“
She continued: “These grants will also help get hugely worthwhile grass roots projects off the ground across Scotland. We want to see more people involved in their communities and these projects will help to achieve that.
“Our ambition is to create a lasting legacy from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow which will help people live longer, healthier lives, in strong, supportive communities, valuing and protecting the built and natural environment, with new and better skills development, employment and volunteering opportunities for generations to come.
Jon Doig, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Scotland, added: “One of the main reasons for bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow in 2014 is to encourage more people to take part in sport and it is great to see the impact that the BIG Lottery’s 2014 communities funding strand is having from the outset. Just like our team members who represent the length and breadth of Scotland, applications are coming in from right across the country.”
Hamilton Academical Women’s and Girls Football Clubs are amongst the first groups to benefit from today’s grants. Their work has mushroomed in recent years, expanding from two to eight teams in just five years and now has nearly 150 people involved. The group receives £900.
Spokesman, Hamilton Academical FC, Derek Thomson, said: “As a club run entirely of volunteers, funding of this type is a great help and ensures that the coaches can spend more time coaching the players, developing their skills and nurturing our young players into talented stars of the future. The 2014 Communities funding will be used to provide much needed portable goals, nets and other training equipment for our girls and women’s teams.”
Orkney Sea Kayaking Association is a small club founded in 2004. The group is currently trying to improve the skills of members and safety at the club and has been awarded £1,000.
OSKA Spokeswoman Mary Saunders said: “In Orkney you’re never more than two miles from the sea and it's absolutely fantastic to enjoy this environment from a kayak and see things you miss from the land. It can be an expensive hobby but OSKA believe that it should be available to all who wish to try. The four general purpose boats we’re buying with the Big Lottery Fund money will be really useful. We’ll use them for winter training in pools. They’ll be great for junior and smaller members and the boats will also be used in river or low grade white water trips to the Highlands.”
Ettrick Forest Archers formed two years ago in the Scottish Borders. Membership doubled last year and the club is currently struggling to cope with demand.
Club spokesman Lindsay Neil said: “We’ve seen a rapid expansion of our membership with dozens of new faces turning up each weekend to give the sport a try. It’s great exercise and we take part in demonstrations across the borders and in competitions too. This money has been invaluable, allowing us to buy new kit which in turn allows more people to take part. We’re a voluntary organisation so it all adds up.”
SEAL (South East Area Lifestyle) works in the Govan area of Glasgow to promote healthy living. The group will use it’s £1,000 grant to try to inspire young women aged between 10 and 16 living in deprived areas to take up healthier lifestyles.
Nicola McGill from SEAL, said: “We’ve done projects for the over 16s before but we knew there was a need for a new approach for younger girls. This money will allow us to provide dance classes for up to 25 people a week for ten weeks. It’s to let people know that exercise can be fun. We’ll also be doing classes on body image. Without this grant we couldn’t do the work. The kids don’t have the money to come and the parents don’t either. If this project’s a success we’ll be looking to make it permanent.”
For full details of all 2014 Communities grants announced today 
click here
- 831KB (830KB .xls).
Further Information
For further information on 2014 Communities contact:
Landa Rolland on: 0141 242 1415 or 07880 737 157
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Notes to Editors
- 2014 Communities is a new micro grants programme, offering local sports clubs, voluntary and community organisations, community councils and schools grants of £300 to £1,000 to support and stimulate grass roots involvement in sport and physical activity. In year one of the programme, the Big Lottery Fund has £0.5 million to award in grants. 2014 Communities will continue to operate up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, but what we focus our funding on and how we deliver our funding may change based on learning leading up to 2014.
- 2014 Communities is about building a legacy of well-being before and beyond the Commonwealth Games. The programme aims to encourage more people to take part or volunteer in sport or physical activity as well as encourage greater community cohesion in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
- BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
SCOTLAND
The Scotland Committee, led by Chair, Alison Magee, has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee has and will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of BIG in Scotland.
The Big Lottery Fund is investing in Scotland’s communities through it’s Investing in Communities portfolio as well as the small grants schemes Awards for All and 2014 Communities.
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