Abuse victims benefit from £4m Big Lottery Fund grant

Victims of domestic abuse in Fife are amongst those who will be helped

Groups who cater for young carers, broken families and children recovering from domestic abuse are amongst those to receive over £4m of grants from the Big Lottery Fund.

Seven projects in central and southern Scotland have been awarded monies totalling £4,148,891.

The Glasgow Association for Mental Health received £678,018.

Meanwhile, Fife Council's domestic and sexual abuse partnership was given £666,733.

Glasgow Homelessness Network, West Lothian Council's social policy department, Liber8 Lanarkshire, ng homes and Changeworks Resources For Life were also awarded.

The Glasgow Association for Mental Health will use its grant to continue its work with carers aged between 12 and 21 who are looking after a family member with a mental health problem.

Ailsa Grant, a development worker with the group, said: "This will allow us to extend support up to the age of 21 with a programme aimed at building employability and wider skills that will tackle the inequalities of opportunity faced by this vulnerable group as they go into adulthood."

'Overcome barriers'

The funding for Fife Council's domestic and sexual abuse partnership means a project helping children recover from domestic abuse will continue for five years.

The £600,550 grant for the Glasgow Homelessness Network will support up to 300 people sustain a long-term home.

In West Lothian, an award of £676,539 to the council's social policy department will allow a support worker to be assigned to 350 families for up to a year to help give stability for children in vulnerable families.

Liber8 Lanarkshire will use £589,052 to help people deal with housing, employment and training issues, while £443,819 for ng homes will go towards 240 disadvantaged adults in Glasgow who need help getting into work.

A final grant of £494,180 for Changeworks Resources For Life will support 1050 social housing tenants in Midlothian and the Scottish Borders by teaching skills on how to manage their homes and stay out of debt.

Maureen McGinn, the chair of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, said: "Our Big Lottery Fund support focuses on helping people and communities in greatest need. With today's awards, seven projects across the country will be able to assist some of our most isolated communities to overcome the barriers they face every day."

The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes.