£1m National Lottery boost for Glasgow groups

Eight groups working across Glasgow are today (TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER) celebrating a share of almost £1m from the National Lottery Community Fund.

From woodwork therapy activities for people in Maryhill to help reduce loneliness to support and respite services for vulnerable families across North East Glasgow, the money will improve people’s lives and communities.

Thanks to an award of £385,903, Geeza Break, will deliver a family support service for parents in the North East of Glasgow.

Ed Inglis, Project Co-ordinator, Geeza Break, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this money from The National Lottery Community Fund. This money will make a huge difference and will allow us to provide unique, flexible, intense respite and family support services to families living in the North East of Glasgow.

“These families are in crisis situations, they often have no other support in place and badly need a break. This project will help them through difficult times in their lives, empower them to take control of their circumstances, improve their outlook on life and support them to move on.”

Time and Space will use their award of £90,000 to provide a range of therapeutic support for people who hear voices and people who self-harm.

Lindsay Miller, Co-founder and Co-ordinator, Time and Space, said: “We are super excited to be awarded this funding which will enable us to hold four weekly and two monthly support groups, provide open ended counselling and tailored one to one support for our members.

“Attending a group like ours allows men and women with similar experiences to come together and build support networks and find new ways to cope. When we started we were two women with an idea and didn’t know where it would take us and now we have been open for 11 years. We couldn’t have done this without the support of The National Lottery and everyone who plays it. Thank you very much.”

An award of £53,000 means that Free Wheel North will continue to run their woodworking therapy project in Maryhill for people experiencing loneliness and isolation.

Fiona Reid, Volunteer, Free Wheel North, said: “We are all absolutely ecstatic as this award allows us to reach out to many more people who need our help and, as a project user myself, I can’t overstate what this funding means to us.

“We will be able to recruit a second employee to help co-ordinate the work and meet demand and the money means we can better equip the woodwork shop and update our equipment. This money will literally transform the lives of hundreds of people, including our volunteers and project users.”

Announcing the funding, Maureen McGinn, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, said: “I am delighted to announce grants today to eight community projects in Glasgow. National Lottery funding is there for everyone, so it’s great to see this money supporting people of all ages, right across the city, feeling isolated or facing a range of difficult circumstances such as mental health problems, poverty or homelessness.

“As the National Lottery prepares to celebrate its 25th birthday later this year, we are proud to be able to support this great work in Glasgow, thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players.”

Last year The National Lottery Community Fund gave out over £48m of National Lottery funding to community projects across Scotland. Over 1130 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life. To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk

Other Glasgow groups being funded today: -

A Place for Change

£75,000

The group will run a project which supports people serving short term sentences on their release from prison to help them build support networks and reintegrate back into their local communities.

The Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre

£99,000

This group will use the funding to offer a programme of activities aimed at improving the quality of lives of local people in Dennistoun, Glasgow. Activities will centre around developing skills for employment and improving health and fitness.

Common Wheel

£51,990

The group will use funding to deliver music-based workshops for young people between the ages of 16- 25 who are being supported through their first episode of Psychosis (FEP).

British Deaf Association

£88,715

The group will deliver their Deaf Roots and Pride project supporting deaf children and young people aged between eight and 23 years old to help build confidence and support them through key transitions in their lives.