​19 Scottish charities have been given a helping hand at the start of 2017 from the Big Lottery Fund Scotland

It’s been a great start to the year for 19 charities across the country as the Big Lottery Fund Scotland has announced £4.3 million of National Lottery funds.

The funding comes from the £250m to support people and communities to overcome challenging circumstances, with the biggest single award of £478,230 being awarded to Yoker Resource Centre in Glasgow.

This community centre aims to empower participants to have greater social connections and give them the opportunity to access activities at a time and place that suits them.

It will use the cash to help train skilled staff, implement a partnership with Volunteer Glasgow, and get support from the Health and Social Care Alliance.

Elsewhere, Wigtownshire Women’s Aid will continue to provide counselling and support to youngsters across the region who have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse after an award of £380,439.

Marie Curie will set up a new helper service for people and their families in Glasgow to help them cope with the daily challenges of living with a terminal illness with the help of a £347,884 injection of cash.

Islay & Jura Community Enterprises Ltd will run a new weekly support group for people with disabilities and long term conditions living on the islands after an award of £63,178.

Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland chair, said: “This funding will support 19 groups across Scotland to improve the places they live and the wellbeing of people facing challenging circumstances.
“It’s great to see groups such as Marie Curie, Wigtownshire Women’s Aid and Islay & Jura Enterprises Ltd all receiving funding to help support people through the toughest of times.”

As well as the £4.3m, an additional £151,226 was shared by 17 groups to help them develop a new idea that will benefit their community.

Download a full list of all awards from the Big Lottery Fund Scotland website.