Funding boost for anti-bigotry battle
THE anti-sectarianism charity founded by a former Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year is celebrating following a four-figure funding boost.
Nil by Mouth, formed by Cara Henderson, clinched the £1800 donation in support of its work in schools.
The group received the money from the Paisley-based Ruby Trust to help fund its Champions for Change schools programme which involves thousands of pupils from across Scotland.
A key part of the programme sees pupils from denominational and non-denominational schools link with the charity to participate in a series of workshops exploring stereotypes, sectarianism and misconceptions about religion and beliefs.
Over the last six months schools from Glasgow, Paisley, Cambuslang, Stevenston, Kilmarnock, Croy and Bellshill have teamed up to work on the programme and the charity is keen to widen its reach over the next school year.
Support from the Ruby Trust will help fund special ‘teambuilding’ events outside the classroom.
Cara Henderson, who was crowned 2014 Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year, set up Nil By Mouth following the brutal sectarian murder of her school friend Mark Scott in 1995.
Since then it has campaigned against sectarianism in schools, colleges, workplaces and communities across Scotland as well as securing changes in the law.
During 2016/17 more than 6,000 pupils took part in the Champions for Change programme from schools right across Scotland.
Nil by Mouth Campaign Director Dave Scott said: ‘We are delighted with the kindness shown by the Ruby Trust. We have always aimed to keep our services free of charge to schools and donations like this help us achieve this.
“Every year Nil by Mouth works with thousands of young people and we try to create an environment for them to learn more about not just other people’s cultures but also gain a richer appreciation for their own.”
He added: “We want to make our schools programme bigger and better than ever, so we are keen to hear from schools, pupils and teachers who want to get involved. Together we can show that Scotland is bigger, better and brighter than bigotry.”
More details are available on www.nilbymouth.org.