Club is so tea-lighted with its cash boost

£3K for group which supports kids and young people

A Livingston- based community project has received a cash boost.

The Yellow Teapot Club provides support and activities for children and young people aged six to 25 with additional support needs has received £3000 from the STV Children’s Appeal partnership with Youth and Philanthropy Initiative Scotland ( YPI).

The Yellow Teapot Club was nominated by the winning team from The James Young High School which took part in the YPI programme during the 2016/17 school year.

Tracey McCallum, co-ordinator at The Yellow Teapot, said: “The YPI group who bid for the Yellow Teapot Club were superb. They visited our club and met our members and staff. Their enthusiasm and friendliness were wonderful and their presentation was fantastic.”

Tracey added that the money will be put to good use by the club.

She said: “Within the Yellow Teapot Club the members and parents will benefit greatly from the YPI award and this sum will make an incredible difference to us. We aim to start a fourth club if possible and to run this club in a way that will encourage our older members to be more independent in their daily lives. It is hugely important for our members to experience what some of us consider “every day activities” ie, using public transport, grocery shopping/ cooking, going to a social gathering like the cinema or simply for a meal. We hope to assist our older members by accompanying ( not leading) them on these nights out and to allow them to deal with whatever situation arises at the time.

“To give our older members experience in dealing with these situations we hope they will continue to grow, be empowered and continue to be the amazing young adults they already are.”

Managed in Scotland by The Wood Foundation, YPI engages young people in social change and empowers them to critically understand their local community. This year, the Yellow Teapot Club is among nine winning charities to receive their YPI grant directly from the STV Children’s Appeal.

Sir Ian Wood, chairman of The Wood Foundation who manage YPI in Scotland, said: “The Wood Foundation’s Youth and Philanthropy Initiative ( YPI) is undoubtedly the most exciting and effective young people’s philanthropic learning experience in Scotland.

He added: “The 2016/ 17 academic year was very successful, with more than 26,500 students from our 207 participating Scottish secondary schools getting actively involved and bringing much needed support to small local charities across the country.”

STV chief executive, Rob Woodward, said: “We hope these nine grants from STV Children’s Appeal will go a long way to helping each project make a difference in their local community and have a positive impact on the lives of many children and young people.”