WIREDGOV

Yesterday (24 APRIL) Big Lottery Fund (BIG) Scotland formally hands over the reins to its largest single investment in Scotland as the £50 million Life Changes Trust launches in Edinburgh.

The creation of Life Changes Trust is the largest single investment from BIG in Scotland and has been made to bring about a step change in the way young people leaving care and people with dementia and their carers access support and services in Scotland in the future.

In setting up Life Changes Trust, BIG identified young people leaving care and people with dementia and their carers as two of the highest priority groups in Scotland yesterday. There are currently over 16,000 looked after children in Scotland, and over 84,000 people with dementia. The £50 million will be evenly split (£25 million each) between the two beneficiary groups.

Maureen McGinn, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Committee, said: “We are delighted that this £50 million Lottery investment will improve the lives of young people who leave care and people with dementia and their carers. Life Changes Trust is a new, independent charity which will be able to offer targeted and specific support for these two groups of people. Through this new Trust's work, our Lottery funding will have an immediate, deep and lasting impact leading, we believe, to long term, transformational change.”

John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, said: “I welcome the handover of the £50 million Lottery funding from BIG to the Life Changes Trust. This is the largest single investment from the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland which will see a substantial and lasting impact on the lives of young people leaving care and improving the lives of people with dementia and their carers in Scotland.

“This investment will have the power to transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about the positive impact that this money will have.”

Edel Harris, Chair Life Changes Trust, said: "It is such an honour to be asked to Chair the Life Changes Trust.  With my fellow trustees and our new CEO I am  looking forward to working with many people and organisations in Scotland to see what we can do collectively to really make a difference to the lives of those living with dementia and their carers and for young people leaving care.  We want to invest the £50m in such a way that ensures sustainable, transformational change and improves the lives of many individuals and families in Scotland.”

Emma Whitfield, Communications Manager, 0141 242 1415
07880 737 157 / emma.whitfield@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Public Enquiries Line: 0300 123 7110                           Text phone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

• 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.