Charities to share £7m of Big Lottery Fund grants
Dozens of Scottish charities are to share more than £7 million in Big Lottery Fund grants to help bereaved and disadvantaged young people.
Dozens of Scottish charities are to share more than £7 million in Big Lottery Fund grants to help bereaved and disadvantaged young people.
Child Bereavement UK, Richmond's Hope and The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice will benefit from a total of about £1 million to help children deal with the death of parents and other family members.
The money will see The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice extend its Butterfly Children's & Young Person's Bereavement Service for three years to deliver counselling and support.
In total, 26 charities across Scotland will receive money from the Big Lottery Fund, including the Venture Trust in Edinburgh which works with young people who have been homeless or in care.
Y Sort-It in West Dunbartonshire, Girvan Youth Trust and Access to Industry, based in Falkirk, will also receive funding to extend its work with young people.
Sarco in Glasgow and St David's Bradbury Centre in Midlothian will also benefit from grants to extend services for veterans and elderly people.
The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice is to receive just under £500,000 to continue work helping families like Daisy, Poppy and Noah Miles who lost their father David after he was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 52.
Daisy, 17, said: "For me the big thing was just being able to speak about it. I learned to laugh about the good times we had. I definitely felt I needed help to do that.
"The way they did it in a safe environment, being able to speak about it was great. I'm so glad I went to the Butterfly Service. I'd recommend it to anyone. They really deserve to get the extra funding."
The charity's chief executive Rhona Baillie said: "So far, the specialist bereavement care and support programme has helped to support 300 children and young people from as young as two years old, up to the age of 21 who have been affected by a terminal illness or the death of someone close.
"This generous cash boost means the project can extend outside Glasgow to East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire, offering a helping hand to hopefully another 300 young people who are experiencing particularly challenging times in their lives."
Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland chair, said: "Today's awards are going to 26 inspiring organisations doing all they can to support people across Scotland facing challenging circumstances.
"These grants are part of our new five-year £250 million funding scheme, designed to support people overcome difficulties and become more resilient."