WIREDGOV

Projects giving young Scots the skills and confidence to embrace a brighter future are today sharing in £282,039 of dormant banks and building society cash from the Young Start fund.

Thanks to an award of £40,923, Screen Education Edinburgh will be able to set up a Young Filmmakers Youth Hub in the city to inspire and engage Scotland’s next generation of directors, producers and editors.

Welcoming the award, Youth Development Worker, Dina Subasciaki, said, “We are passionate about introducing young people to film and developing their creativity.  This funding from Young Start will help us to find exciting new talent and emerging independent filmmakers.

“This project will be very much led by the youngsters themselves.  We can now offer an opportunity for young people to explore film without the added pressure of committing to a course and this new hub will be a more informal environment where they can create freely and learn on their own terms.”

In the Scottish Borders, the You Can Cook Community Interest Company receives £44,806 to run a two year growing and cooking project for youngsters from Innerleithen and Walkerburn.

Founding Director, Bosco Santimano, said,

“Our project, “You Can Grow”, will work with school pupils from Innerleithen and Walkerburn to inspire, motivate and build their confidence in a range of activities which are all centred around food. We will run cookery classes indoors in the school kitchen, community centre and village hall in the village. The outdoor activities will be held in the edible garden on St.Ronan's Primary school grounds involving all aspects of growing from planting seeds to sowing and harvesting. 

“We will also be able to teach the children and their parents and carers how to grow their own food and cook healthy, seasonal meals.”

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 £282,039.

“In Edinburgh, Screen Education Edinburgh will work with young people across the city using film as a platform for creativity and possible career development; while in the Scottish Borders, You Can Cook Community Interest Company will run a range of indoor and outdoor activities to inspire local youngsters to grow and cook their own food.  Both projects will make a big difference by enabling children and young people to gain the abilities, skills and confidence required for positive and healthy futures.”

Run by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Young Start awards money from dormant bank and building society accounts to support a range of projects to help young people aged eight to 24 years old reach their full potential.  These latest nine awards to groups will allow young people across Scotland to access a wide range of new opportunities. 

For more information about Young Start visit the website at:- https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/scotland/young-start

Other projects receiving Young Start funding today are:-

The Children's Food Trust
Glasgow, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire
£47,352
This project will run a series or cookery classes which will take place after school.  Twenty young people will be selected to take part in a cookery leader’s course to become cooking mentors.

KORMC
Fife 
£50,000
The group will run 12 week programmes of practical riding training and bike maintenance workshops for young people from Leven in Fife.

Fairfield Sports and Leisure Club
Dundee 
£49,891
The project will deliver a programme of sports and healthy activities for young people from the Drumgieth area of the city.

Glenboig Neighbourhood House
North Lanarkshire 
£36,747
The group will develop a programme of music workshops for youngster living in Glenboig, Gartcosh and surrounding areas in North Lanarkshire.

Dunbartonshire Disability Sports Club
East Dunartonshire, West Dunbartonshire
£12,320
The group will develop a sports stars apprenticeship scheme for young people with additional support needs.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1451
Email: lorna.mcniven@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglottery
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
• The Big Lottery Fund Scotland is focussed on helping people and communities most in need throughout Scotland through its five-year £250m funding scheme as well as small grants schemes Awards for All and Investing in Ideas.
• Since March 2007 Big Lottery Fund Scotland has taken devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn plays a strategic role in the future direction of the Fund in Scotland.