- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- Investing In Communities
- Release date:
- 18 7 2012
Two groups in the West of Scotland are today (18 JULY) sharing in Big Lottery Fund grants of over £1 million which will help young people and adults to make positive changes in their lives through education, training and employment opportunities.
Announcing the awards totalling £1,192,403 Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “Today’s funding will support two projects in the West, which will help some of the most vulnerable people to cope with the most challenging transitions in their lives. One of these projects will help young people coming out of care to realise their potential as they grow into adulthood while the other will support adults who have been dependent on alcohol to move away from addiction and into employment. We are delighted to be funding these projects, which point the people who need it most towards employability and healthier, happier lifestyles.”
The Venture Trust’s project, Inspiring Young Futures, receives £696,354 to support care leavers and carers in Glasgow and Inverclyde. The project will help young people aged 16 to 25 to improve their confidence and self esteem as they make the transition to adulthood. As well as support in looking for jobs and courses, the young people will learn how to manage relationships, communicate effectively and sustain a tenancy.
David Haines, Funding and Contracts Officer, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive funding from the Big Lottery Fund. It will enable us to give over 180 young people a real chance to take control of their futures. We’re excited and energised by the prospect of guiding our beneficiaries through challenging life transitions, and equipping them with life skills, self-belief, and the confidence to fulfil their potential. Thanks to this grant’s long-term stability, we will be able to create more effective and wider-reaching support networks for greater numbers of beneficiaries in the coming years.”
Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol receives £496,049 for its Links to Learning project, which will support adults in West Dunbartonshire with alcohol misuse problems to overcome the barriers they face in becoming ready for work. The five-year project will provide 184 adults with seven week training and support programmes tailored to their own needs, including one to one aftercare support.
Cathie Dennett, Director of Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol, said: “We were delighted to hear we have received the five year award for our Links to Learning project which will support many of our clients who are furthest removed from the labour market.
She continued: “We know there is a real need for a project that can bridge the gap between addiction treatment services and employment for clients who are furthest removed from the labour market. This award will allow us to establish a project which will provide people affected by alcohol misuse with the physical, mental, emotional and practical skills to move out of services and go on to become actively involved in their communities through volunteering, training or employment.”
The awards form part of a wider package of grants totalling £2,973,034.
Further Information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office
0141 242 1458
Public Enquiries Line: 0870 240 2391
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of 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 £25 billion over £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
- The Scotland Committee, has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn, 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 its Investing in Communities portfolio, as well as the small grants schemes Awards for All, Investing in Ideas, Communities and Families and 2014 Communities.
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