Funding will have a life-changing impact for around 10,000 children and families

Scottish Children’s Lottery has announced it has granted £576,408 to almost 50 charities across the country.   

The funding, which will have a life-changing impact for around 10,000 children and families in 2022, will support projects that ensure children receive the very best start in life, no matter their circumstances. 

Around one in five of all households in Scotland are classed as being in, or on the margins of, poverty. This leads to over 220,000 children in Scotland struggling daily with the effects of poverty. 

Scott Millar, charity manager for the Scottish Children’s Lottery, said: “We are delighted to announce such a significant amount of funding to help support projects that ensure children in Scotland receive the very best start in life, no matter the circumstances they were born into. 

“Our vision is to ensure that children across Scotland are given the same chances as everyone else, regardless of the challenges they face.  

“We are confident that the supported projects will enable and empower disadvantaged young people to achieve goals that might otherwise have been out of reach. 

“Our key aim is to improve the lives of young people right across the country and strive to build and develop close-knit relationships between those who matter most. Last year was exceptionally tough for many families, so we are delighted to be able to kick-start 2022 with this funding that will help so many children throughout the whole of Scotland.” 

A diverse group of projects will benefit from the windfall, and the charities that were successful in gaining funding range from those in the Highlands to those in Dumfries and Galloway. 

These include organisations seeking to help marginalised young people in multi-cultural communities become more socially connected. Another will introduce at-risk young people to the joy of climbing as a way of developing life skills like teamwork, self-confidence and resilience.  

What beneficiaries have said

The Scottish Children’s Lottery will share the life-changing stories from these charities as the year progresses and provide feedback on the relationships built along the way. Here are what those contributions mean to some of the charities: 

“All of us at Solar Bear are delighted about this generous offer of funding, and I know our DYT members will be too. Thanks so much, this award will make a huge difference to our work with DYT next year.” – Jonathan Lloyd, creative director/CEO Solar Bear (Deaf Youth Theatre) in Glasgow.  

“We are thrilled to receive this significant funding boost from the Scottish Children’s Lottery, which will go a long way in securing the roll out of our Ready for Life programme. The programme trains secondary school pupils in emergency first aid and first aid for mental health, equipping them with a range of life skills and the ability to spot vital signs of mental health issues in family and friends.” – Stuart Callison, chief executive at St Andrew’s First Aid (Mental Health First Aid Training).

“What wonderful news especially on such a grey day. We are so enormously grateful for the continued support of the Scottish Children’s Lottery. This grant is really great news, thank you again for supporting our youth work.” - Gemma Fleet, fundraising manager Epilepsy Action Scotland.

“A HUGE thank you...this award is going to make a significant impact; we greatly appreciate your support through the process.” - Claire Montgomery, head of engagement, Curiosity Collective. 

“Thanks so much for this brilliant news - absolutely thrilled!” - Caryn Kerr, fundraising and development ,manager, Big Hearts Community Trust.