WIREDGOV

Community groups across Scotland are celebrating a National Lottery windfall of £777,446. 

The funding comes from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland which makes grants from £300 to £10,000 to voluntary and community groups across the country. See a list of projects receiving funding in your area

Thanks to an award of £7,973, The Orkney Sheep Foundation will be able to organise this year’s North Ronaldsay Sheep Festival which will take place from 29th July to 10th August. The event brings together the local community and visitors from across the world to celebrate the two thousand strong rare breed of seaweed eating sheep that are kept on the island. The money will also help to rebuild the sheepdyke that encircles the island, which is the longest drystone structure in the world. 

Festival Co-ordinator, Heather Woodbridge, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding for this year’s North Ronaldsay Sheep Festival! Now volunteers who may otherwise not be able to afford travel and accommodation will be able to attend our festival. The local community will also benefit from this award as the festival itself is a huge boost to its economy. Not to mention the stars of our festival, the native North Ronaldsay sheep! This year we are excited to expand our cultural festival to include activities like traditional island dances, wool workshops and musical events for all the family.” 

Burntisland First Aid Services Trust provides a range of vital first aid and ambulance services at events around Scotland from students’ balls to family fun days. An award of £7,500 will help them to replace their 13 year old ambulance with a new model that meets current standards. 

Chairman, Alex MacDonald, yesterday said: “The support of the National Lottery is hugely helpful in taking us a step nearer to our goal of replacing our ageing ambulance with a new model. 

“We provide a voluntary service at nearly 200 events every year from Aberdeen to Ayrshire and have dealt with a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. This makes it even more vital that our host of volunteers have access to the best possible equipment, making it easier for them to deliver the best treatment to anyone who is in need.” 

Glasgow Bike Shed Ltd will use their award of £10,000 to inspire more young people in the south of the city to take up cycling. The “Govanhill Gears” project will deliver two after school sessions in the area and teach the youngsters how to cycle and maintain bikes. 

Training Officer, Hannah Hughes, yesterday said: “We have some really enthusiastic budding young cyclists who don’t have the means to build their own bikes so access to our fleet of bicycles gives them a brilliant opportunity to build their cycling skills. We can’t wait to tell them about this exciting new funding from the National Lottery and we will now be able to double our efforts to include lots more local children and young people in our cycling clubs.” 

A National Lottery Awards for All Scotland spokesperson yesterday said, “This is National Lottery money in action, reaching into communities across Scotland making a real difference to the people who live there. The 97 groups receiving funding today showcases the range of projects that can be funded through this programme and the difference that the smallest amounts of money can make.” 

National Lottery Awards for All Scotland is now more straightforward to apply to and faster to get funding from. Applications are received on a rolling basis and can be received at any time. To find out what National Lottery Awards for All Scotland could do for your community visit our website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/awardsforallscotland or phone 0300 123 7110. 

For more info contact Big Lottery Fund Media Team: Lorna McNiven 0141 242 1451

Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk 
Twitter: #NationalLottery @BIGScotland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to Editors:

• National Lottery Awards for All Scotland is a joint awards programme from the Big Lottery Fund, Creative Scotland and sportscotland.
• National Lottery Awards for All Scotland makes grants to help people take part in arts, sport, social, environmental, health related, educational and other community activities.
• National Lottery Awards for All Scotland welcomes applications and focuses on funding smaller organisations with an annual turnover of less than £250k (except for schools).