Carers grant boosts teens
Work with disabled kids nets cash
Two Stirling charity projects have secured grants totalling £38,700 from BBC Children in Need.
Stirling Young Carers has been awarded a three-year grant of £30,000 to fund residential trips for 105 young carers aged between seven and 17 .
At the project, young people with caring responsibilities benefit from a number of services, including group sessions, individual support, advice asbout other services and and residential stays.
Funding will help cover the cost of two trips and enable the attendance of staff who can provide one-to-one support for children and young people as they try out new activities and receive respite from their caring duties.
The breaks, which include anything from a city stay to an outward bound trip, take place during school holidays, a time that can prove challenging and intense for young carers. It is hoped the days away will help reduce social isolation through quality leisure activities with peers.
Elsewhere, PLUS (Forth Valley) has received £8,700 for their work with disabled children and young people under the age of 18, as well as their families in the Falkirk area. Since 2011, the Stirling-based project has benefitted from more than £180,000 in grants to support inclusivity in mainstream social activities, and this latest boost will help the group fund experienced sessional staff to run a parent and toddler group, play sessions, youth sessions and family days, and information/support sessions for parents.
Janet Morton, national officer of Scotland for BBC Children in Need said: “We’re always looking for quality applications for our Small Grants programme and with a recent refresh to our strategy we are now able to support projects for longer, helping us maximise the impact. If your project is working with disadvantaged children and young people, we encourage you to get in touch.”
Projects working with children and young people facing disadvantage can apply at bbc.co.uk/pudsey/ grants.