Lottery boost for eight initiatives

More than £5.9 million of lottery funding has been awarded to support vulnerable children and young people, and help prevent women from becoming involved in crime.

The cash from the Big Lottery Fund will go to eight initiatives across Scotland.

Youngsters in Midlothian will get the chance to help shape the future of local mental health services after a project led by Midlothian Council received a grant of £836,000. Over the next five years it aims to overhaul child and youth mental health services so children and young people get help much earlier.

Other groups benefiting are the social enterprise Aberdeen Foyer, which receives £824,567, and Action for Children in West Dunbartonshire, which has been awarded £730,207.

Barnardo’s Scotland in Glasgow will get £797,968 and Dartington Service Design Lab in Renfrewshire has been awarded £1,000,000.

Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership receives £682,250 to develop new preventative services based on the first-hand experiences of women involved in the criminal justice system.