WIREDGOV

Additional support is being made available for vulnerable families in many parts of Scotland, as the Big Lottery Fund today (TUESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER) announces £3.9 million of life changing National Lottery funds.

The cash goes to 20 groups, many of which will create safe spaces for families, children and young people facing a range of issues including poverty, imprisonment, domestic abuse and childhood cancer. See the list of projects receiving funding

The next three years 600 families affected by imprisonment in Glasgow and North Strathclyde will benefit from an award of £299, 667 to Families Outside. The organisation, which provides emotional and practical support to families of people involved in the criminal justice system, will be able to expand its Regional Family Support Service and provide new peer to peer led support sessions for families.

Nancy Loucks, Chief Executive, Families Outside, said: “Families Outside is absolutely delighted to receive this National Lottery award. The grant not only sustains the essential support we can provide to the most vulnerable families in Glasgow and North Strathclyde but also supports the development of new work promoting peer support for children and young people with a family member in prison. Such work creates an essential 'safe space' for families to talk about their experiences, helping them to process and address traumas they feel they cannot speak about with anyone else."

Team Jak, which provides practical and emotional support to children and young people with cancer and related illnesses receives £262,222 towards their new family base, Jaks Den mark 2, in Livingstone.

Allison Barr, Founder & Chief Executive, Team Jak, said: “We are absolutely over the moon to receive this fabulous award, which is literally life changing for us. This award gives us the money we need to complete our Jaks Den mark 2 in Livingston which provides practical social and emotional support to children and young people with cancer age 0-25 and their families and friends and those bereaved. It will also allow us to install counselling pods to enable us to meet our ever increasing need for emotional support.”

More practical and emotional support will be made available for black and ethnic minority women and their children affected by domestic abuse, forced marriage or honour based violence as Shakti Women’s Aid receives £386,132. The group will use the funding to expand their outreach service in Tayside, Perthshire, Forth Valley and the Lothians.

Girijamba Polubothu, Manager, Shakti Women’s Aid, said: “Shakti is ever so grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for this funding to continue and expand our Outreach Services. Without this funding, the black minority ethnic (BME) women and their children would have lost the only specialist BME domestic abuse support service available to them which caters for their complex needs. Ultimately, the funding will help BME women and their children to be safe.”

Announcing today’s funding, Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “Many of today’s funded projects will strengthen families’ ability to cope with a wide range of challenges. Whether dealing with the aftermath of someone going to prison, living with the emotional and psychological effects of domestic abuse or coming to terms with a child’s life limiting illness, these projects will make a real difference to hundreds of families, children and young people across Scotland. These National Lottery funds really are life changing and will have a positive impact for people who need our help the most.”

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1458
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGSCOTLAND #NationalLottery
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to Editors:

• 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.
• 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 scheme National Lottery Awards for All Scotland.
• Since March 2007 Big Lottery Fund Scotland has taken devolved decisions on National Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn plays a strategic role in the future direction of the Fund in Scotland.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects across the UK 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, £37 billion has been raised and more than 520 grants awarded.