- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- Supporting 21st Century Life
- Release date:
- 7 4 2009
Glasgow and the West in Lottery payout
Families in Ayrshire living with drug and alcohol problems of loved ones will be given additional support to cope, thanks to the latest round of funding announced today by the BIG Lottery Fund.
The Lighthouse Foundation in Kilmanock is one of 13 groups sharing in £2,799,958 from BIG’s Supporting 21st Century Life programme which aims to improve and nurture relationships between people, families and communities.
Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair Alison Magee, said: “Todays funding will provide additional support for many families in Scotland including those affected by substance misuse. Living with a family member who is addicted to drugs or alcohol can have a devastaing impact on the whole family and so I am delighted that we are able to help families in Ayrshire to better cope with the struggle they face on a daily basis. I am also pleased to see that we are supporting young parents in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire to create a better life for themselves and their children.”
The Lighthouse Foundation in Kilmarnock is the only organisation in Ayrshire to provide support for families and children who have a family member addicted to either alcohol or drugs. Today the group receives £261,676 to focus its efforts in three areas. The first will provide children with play therapy and counselling including one to one support from a peer mentor. The second will provide families with practical and emotional support including advocacy and mediation sessions with a family member recovering from addiction and the third will facilitate support at HMP Kilmarnock for families affected by imprisonment.
Kathleen Bryson, Project Manager, The Lighthouse Foundation, said: “In the last six years over 1,000 families have approached our charity for a variety of reasons relating to their loved ones addiction issues. Although the charity has developed significantly over the last few years and now offers five different projects which provide a variety of services, we still rely heavily on various sources of funding. This new grant from the Big Lottery will help enable us to continue to offer a unique range of services to families, families of prisoners and children for the foreseeable future.
Rosemount Lifelong Learning in Royston will expand its ‘Making a Difference’ course for young parents aged between 16 and 25 who have missed out on educational and training opportunities, thanks to a grant of £245,815. Topics will include stress management, first aid, money management, cooking and healthy eating, parenting skills, home safety and a residential trip with their children.
Joan McManus, Information Support & Guidance Co-Ordinator, Rosemount Lifelong Learning, said: “Far from being content to live on benefits, as often portrayed in the popular press, these young people are keen to make a good life for themselves and their children through training and work. Unlike their experience at school this course picks up on the students’ specific needs and interests and encourages them to participate in planning and developing the subjects covered. Thanks to this Lottery funding we can now support these young people as they aim to go onto further education, volunteering or employment.”
Donna Elliott, a young parent from Royston, said: “This is the best course I have ever been on, so different from school; it has given me so much confidence. I have learned so many new things especially on the residential trip with all the children .The tutors and all the staff have been amazing. I just now want to go and get a job to make a good life for me and my child.”
A parent and toddler group in Cumbernauld which provides support for new mothers, including those with post natal depression, today receives £51,950. Growing Together, based in St Mungo’s Church, gives new mothers the chance to share their experiences and talk through their anxieties with other mums who have gone through a similar experience.
Verity Morcom, Treasurer, Growing Together, said: “This grant is wonderful news for a small group like us. It will enable us to employ a development worker who will oversee the co-ordination, development and running of the group, but most importantly will work with us to look at ways of ensuring that we meet the needs of our carers. It will also allow us to provide a creche so that carers can have a relaxed chat and drink, no matter how short this may be.”
“For some of our mums and carers attending this group is the only time during the week when they are able to socialise outwith their home. Having babies and young children can be a very isolating experience, and some of our attendees simply wouldn’t leave the house to socialise if it wasn’t for the existence of Growing Together.”
Other grants receiving Big Lottery Fund grants from the Supporting 21st Century Life programme:
The Fostering Network, Award - £302,509
This project, based in Glasgow, will raise the self esteem, confidence and skills of adults across Scotland who currently are or considering becoming foster carers. The project will provide a range of interventions including advocacy training, access to support networks and the introduction of an outreach service aimed at foster carers in rural locations. The project will run for three years and will directly benefit 450 foster carers and 40 organisations and indirectly 675 children.
Community Arts: Open Space, Award - £295,433
This project based in Clydebank will provide a variety of community art initiatives to bring together different generations. It will develop people’s confidence and self-esteem and provide people, including those with mental health issues, young people and lone parents, with the opportunity to take part in community arts based workshops and to become volunteers in their community.
Up-2-Us, Award - £458,372
This project will support families in crisis in West Dunbartonshire. Targeted at families where their child is at risk of being taken into care, the parents and children will be supported to resolve conflict. This will help families find more productive ways of living together and function better in their community. A support plan will also set out expectations, goals and aspirations of both the child and the parents. Volunteers will support families to enjoy external activities including family outings.
Further Information
For more information contact Landa Rolland at the Big Lottery
Fund Scotland Press Office on: 0141 242 1458 or 07880 737 157
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
BIG LOTTERY FUND
- 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.
- *Investing in Communities is the Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s funding portfolio which consists of four investment areas:
- Growing Community Assets, to help communities obtain, improve, develop, manage, sustain and protect assets that will help them become stronger and more sustainable.
- Life Transitions to support people at times of change in their lives – at different life stages and in different circumstances.
- Supporting 21st Century Life to provide support to people and communities to deal with the pace of change, enjoy positive relationships, improve quality of life, and establish connections across 21st century society.
- Dynamic and Inclusive Communities (DINC) to fund improvements to the capacity and infrastructure of national, intermediary or second tier organisations, to allow communities to engage in civic society and influence civic processes so that they can build strong and more inclusive local communities.
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