This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Support for communities fighting drug misuse
22/03/2005
A total of 35 projects across Scotland are today celebrating their success in securing a share of more than £750,000 of funding from the 2004/05 Scottish Drugs Challenge Fund.
The Challenge Fund - an Executive awards scheme administered by Scotland Against Drugs - aims to unite the public, private and voluntary sectors in helping communities stand up to the problems of drug misuse in Scotland at a grassroots level.
Successful projects include:
- The 'Vale in the Community' project in Aberdeenshire, which provides sports coaching for young people during school holidays
- The 'Hooked In' project in Fife, which provides outreach drug education and diversionary projects
- The 'Friday Night Fever' project in Angus, which will involve young people in the production of an issue-based musical
- The 'Move On' intiative in Edinburgh which offers outdoor education for recovering drug users
- The 'Papdale Youth Shelter Project' in Orkney, which will involve the installation of a youth shelter.
Announcing the winners at an awards ceremony at the Scottish Parliament, Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said:
"Drugs misuse is a blight on the lives of too many families and communities. Educating young people about the dangers of drugs and providing them with opportunities to make positive life choices must always be the starting point of our drugs strategy. And when people succumb they must get the appropriate community support and treatment to get their lives back on track.
"The Challenge Fund aims to recognise those projects which do the most to deal with drug problems in their communities and provide extra financial support for those projects who have forged successful partnerships with the private and voluntary sectors. I am delighted therefore to see 35 projects across Scotland - from Orkney to Ayrshire and Arran - get that recognition this year.
"It is by working together successfully at a local level that we have the best chance of getting people's lives back on track and delivering a safer, stronger Scotland."
Alistair Ramsay MBE, Director of Scotland Against Drugs added:
"Once again the Challenge Fund has attracted a huge response from across the country and the number of quality applications received demonstrates the fantastic action against drugs misuse taking place in our local communities. The 35 projects selected are all excellent examples of local partnership initiatives so I congratulate them on achieving this success against quality competition and look forward to their development with great interest and anticipation."
The 2004/05 Scottish Drugs Challenge Fund was launched by the Executive in November last year. Applications were invited from projects across Scotland. In total, 101 applications were received prior to the submission deadline of 5pm on Friday January 14, 2005, of which 35 were selected for funding.
Decisions on applications were taken by a Scottish Executive appointed panel through the competitive process based on set criteria including financial or in-kind commitment from the private sector, considerable levels of community involvement and a project theme in relation to drug misuse. Partnership is the key to success with at least 10 per cent of the total project cost required from the public sector. The maximum award is £50,000.
This year the Challenge Fund - with an input of £757,908 from the Scottish Executive - has attracted financial and in-kind support from the private sector totalling £374,752 and £209,355 from the public/voluntary sector, bringing the allocation for 2004/05 to £1,342,015.
The successful projects, and their award from the Challenge Fund, is as below:
Drug worker, Guildry House, Elgin (Moray) £13,952
Community Youth Rugby Initiative (Lanarkshire) £17,346
Friday Night Fever (Angus) £14,803
Nether Lochaber Active Referral (Highland) £1,272
Durness Youth Club Digital Arts, Interpretation and Display Project "Cyber Musem" (Highland) £21,000
Vale in the Community (Aberdeenshire) £19,176
Health Awareness Workshop Development at The Attic (Angus)
£3,718
Early Years/Drug Action (Argyll and Clyde/Greater Glasgow) £24,713
LifeStart (Greater Glasgow) £25,000
Drugs - Back to the Future (Dundee City) £3,540
Give Drugs the Runaround (Highland/Moray) £14,425
Trustees, Staff and Volunteer Training (Greater Glasgow) £4,500
Orkney Peer Education Project (Orkney) £22,998
Anchor House S-Team (Perth and Kinross) £39,995
Specialist Drugs Support Worker (Aberdeen City/Aberdeenshire)
£33,856
Bon Accord Befrienders Drugs Service (Aberdeen City) £44,400
Hooked (Aberdeen City/National) £49,400
Papdale Youth Shelter Project (Orkney) £4,250
Reel Deal Training Resources (Edinburgh City) £15,624
Twilight Basketball (Forth Valley) £24,150
Forrester React 2 Rugby (Edinburgh City) £23,765
Gannochy Sports Pavilion Community Rugby (Perth & Kinross)£21,680
Natural Strokes (Fife) £19,608
Hooked In - (Fife) £26,152
Training Families: Basic Drug Awareness Incorporating Overdose Prevention & Resuscitation (Ayrshire & Arran) £16,452
Celtic Against Drugs (Greater Glasgow) £40,000
Think BIG (Greater Glasgow) £20,000
Edinburgh Minority Ethnic Drugs Initiative (Edinburgh City) £19,520
Footworks (Highland) £24,964
Artzone2 (Edinburgh City) £48,250
Choices and Consequences (Argyll & Clyde) £27,944
Move On (Edinburgh City) £5,854
Toryglen Physical Activity and Employment Opportunities (Greater Glasgow) £7,901
Kicking Drugs Into Touch (Ayrshire & Arran) £13,200
Satellite - Young Person's Creative Showcase (Greater Glasgow)£44,500
Total awards £757,908