Groups get share of £750k lottery boost
Thirteen Stirling-based groups and organisations are to benefit from more than £750,000 of National Lottery funding for projects across the region.
The latest unveiling of National Lottery Community Fund support has revealed more than 300 projects across Scotland sharing in £12 million of financial backing, with groups of all sizes set to benefit.
Among the biggest beneficaries include Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre, who have secured a grant of £199,036 to provide therapeutic support to children who have been affected by sexual violence in Forth Valley.
Their project will support 125 survivors in their recovery from the traumatic impact of sexual violence, with ten volunteers providing assistance over the next three years.
The ‘Paws for Project’ charity - based at Stirling University - have also picked up £199.950 for their work at Polmont prison helping young offenders by helping them train dogs from local rescue organisations.
The project helps provide the young people with transferable skills, with the group also moving into community settings to help reach young people at risk of offending.
Causewayhead charity Recyke-abike will also benefit from £138,000 of funding and Bouncet Innovative Occupational Therapy CIC picked up £145,000 of support to help it provide free therapuetic play sessions to children with a range of physical and learning disabilities.
A spokeswoman for Recyke-a-bike said: “The National Lottery Fund Support will allow Recyke-a-bike to start our Training and Employability programme.
“This programme will allow participants to gain skills in bike mechanics, cycling skills, commuting skills – as well as training participants through City & Guilds, so they have a qualification to walk away with.
“We will do sessions on teambuilding, leadership skills, CV building and cover letter skills and encourage participants to look for further employment/ volunteer opportunities so they have a positive destination to move onto after the programme finishes.
“We are so thankful to the players of the National Lottery and extremely excited to start the programme!”
A range of other groups also received smaller grants, for projects including:
Cambusbarron Nursery looking into a new building in the woodland around the village; minor improvements and the appointment of a ‘hall coordinator’ at Drymen Village Hall; and the upgrading of a footpath through Donaldson Park in Balfron.
Stirling charity Plus also picked up £9,814 to help young people with disabilities with one-to-one play sessions and the Colin Burt Reserve Action Group secured £3,900 to carry out access improvements to their nature reserve near Killin.