WIREDGOV

Across Scotland, 71 community groups yesterday shared National Lottery funding worth £523,278. 

A full list of grants is available here

A new therapeutic community garden in East Dunbartonshire and two caravans which will provide much needed holiday accommodation for families in Glasgow are are amongst the latest projects to benefit from Awards for All Scotland.
 
Awards for All Scotland gives out grants of between £500 and £10,000 to projects that bring communities together to enjoy a range of activities.

Based in Milton of Campsie in East Dunbartonshire, Silver Birch (Scotland) Ltd provides work experience and skills development through social and therapeutic horticulture for people with learning disabilities. The organisation receives £9,993 to create a “Body and Mind” Garden on their site to be used for their clients and the wider community.

Business and Development Manager, Mark McCrorie, said, “ We are delighted to be awarded funds from Awards for All which will allow us to develop this new and exciting project.  When complete, the garden will be an interactive area which will encourage our clients to learn and develop their skills in a relaxing and alternative way.  We aim to promote the garden within the local community and encourage people to visit and learn more about horticulture and the work we do to support people living with a learning disability.  We would like to thank Awards for All for this award, without which this project would not have been possible. “

Tina Tait, 46, from Milngavie, has a moderate learning disability and will benefit from the project. She said, ‘I am really looking forward to the gardens being completed as it will be a great place for me to learn even more and to develop the skills I have already learned.  It will also be a nice area for everyone to relax and chill out during our break times.’

Feis Gleann Albainn provides opportunities for people of all ages get involved in traditional music and arts for the local community in Fort Augustus in the Highlands.  The group will use their award of £7,913 to buy portable staging that can be easily transported to various venues throughout the region.

East End Family Holiday Co-operative has been providing a service in the East End of Glasgow for almost 30 years by providing affordable respite and holiday opportunities for families.   Thanks to an award of £10,000 the group will be able to buy a wheelchair friendly caravan and a large family caravan as the ones they currently have need to be replaced.

An Awards for All spokesperson, said: “All of these grants are a great way to show the variety of projects that can be funded through Awards for All.  We are always surprised at the difference a relatively small amount of money can make in communities across Scotland.  We wish all of these groups the best for the festive season and the future.” 

Awards for All Scotland is a partnership by sportscotland and Big Lottery Fund. The programme re-opened to applications on 4 August with a new and improved simpler application form. Groups can download this form herewww.biglotteryfund.org.uk/awardsforallscotland.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1451
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglf 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland 

Notes to editors

• Awards for All is a joint awards programme from the Big Lottery Fund and sportscotland.
• Awards for All makes grants to help people take part in arts, sport, social, environmental, health related, educational and other community activities.
• Awards for All re-opened to applications on 4 August with a simpler applications process and a renewed focus on funding smaller organisations with an annual turnover of less than £250k (except for schools)