Aberdeen project gets £328,000 from Big Lottery Fund

A Big Lottery Fund grant of more than £328,000 has been awarded

An Aberdeen project supporting female victims of crime has won more than £300,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The Violence Against Women project run by Aberdeen Cyrenians has secured the five-year grant of £328,473.

Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Alison Magee, said ensuring vulnerable people were supported was "central" to the organisation's funding aim.

Fiona Whitehouse, women's issues worker for Aberdeen Cyrenians, said the service would be able to be expanded.

She said: "Since 2006, this service has been supporting women who are experiencing varying forms of gender-based abuse, providing the emotional and practical support needed to help women to address this abuse."

One woman helped by the project said: "When my support worker came into my life I was going downhill fast.

"She kept coming back and never gave up on me. Just knowing there is someone is a great help. She goes out of her way to help."