Thirteen projects across Scotland are the latest to receive grants totalling £95,412 from the Communities and Families Fund – a joint venture from the Big Lottery Fund and the Scottish Government.

Set up to give projects working with children of eight years and under a vital helping hand, the Communities and Families grants go to a variety of projects across the country. From the provision of support groups to fitness classes, outdoor activities to arts and music, the money is helping to give Scotland’s next generation the best possible start in life.

Applications are welcomed from projects which benefit children or families of children aged eight years and under, and groups can apply for funding from £250 to £10,000.

Families in Kilmarnock will be singing and smiling this Christmas as they celebrate their £9,899 grant. CS Performers Ltd Smile & Sing project will offer young children, from birth to eight years, and their parents a series of community art sessions. Covering Onthank and Knockinlaw, this arts project will be a new initiative opening up an activity not every family has access to.

The Wee Bogees Baby and Toddler Playgroup in Boat of Garten meets every Friday, all year round, from 10.00am to 12.00pm in the Community Hall. Their grant of £980 means the group will be able to take the children on outings to a wildlife park, the theatre and a pantomime. These are trips which the children, and their parents, might not easily make on their own and they’ll help develop the children’s imagination as well as giving them the chance to play together.

Linlithgow Bridge Playgroup will use their £8,600 grant to create an outdoor play area at the back of Chalmers Hall in Linlithgow where the group’s based. And a grant of £9,895 for Falkirk’s Open Secret – which supports adults and children who have experienced abuse or trauma – will allow the Children and Families Follow On Project to focus on children at nursery and primary school, aged three to eight years.

For more information visit http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_communities_and_families_fund

Click here for details of the other projects.