North Lanarkshire volunteer groups share £210,000 council grant
ORGANISATIONS across North Lanarkshire are to benefit from more than £210,000 of council funding.
North Lanarkshire Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee agreed the grants to 43 groups which provide a range of services to children, people with disabilities, older people, and people affected by ill health or addiction.
Some of the lucky recipients include the North Lanarkshire Disability Forum, who got £35,606.
Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre and the North Lanarkshire Parkinsons Self Help Group are also both big winners, receiving grants of more than £10,000 each.
Wishaw-based Headway North Lanarkshire, who work with people affected by brain injury, received £1900.
Chairperson Sandra McGinty welcomed the donation at a time when finances are tight across the council.
She said: “We are pleased to have received some money.
“The £1900 we can do a lot with, but with a bit more we could have helped a lot more local people.
“We have got lots of different things in the pipeline. We are hoping to try and get people in to teach new skills. We currently have an IT teacher and we’re hoping to try and get folk in who can teach arts and crafts and gardening as we have a lot of keen members.
“We have been given a patio out the back so it would be good to put that to use.”
Councillor Barry McCulloch, Convener of the council’s Housing and Social Work, is pleased to be helping so many people.
He said: “Across North Lanarkshire, many thousands of people give their time and skills to help others in their local communities.
“Through voluntary organisations, they offer invaluable support and advice to improve the quality of life of friends, family and others.
“The support these organisations provide complements the social care services provided by the council, and we are pleased to be able to contribute towards their operation through the Section 10 grants.”
The 43 grants for 2011/12 total £210,904. Another seven organisations are currently midway through a three-year funding grant, receiving a total of £215,269.
