Argyll and Bute Rape Crisis Centre first to benefit from Scottish Sport Relief grant

It has just been announced that the Argyll and Bute Rape Crisis Centre is one of the first projects to benefit from the Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme.

The £144,000 grant will enable the centre to provide prevention workshops and give young people aged 13-25 throughout the region access to specialist support services.

This project is one of nine being supported through the initial finding from Scottish Sport Relief ‘s Home and Away Programme, totalling almost £1million, to help people across Scotland facing tough challenges in their lives.

The grants will be used to tackle a wide range of issues, helping people with mental health problems, those with learning disabilities, young survivors of sexual violence, those affected by alcohol problems and vulnerable old people.

The recently announced £5m Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme is jointly funded by the Scottish Government and Sport Relief, to benefit disadvantaged people in Scotland and people in the world’s poorest countries.

The Scottish Government has contributed £2.5m to the Home and Away Programme, with the funding forming an important part of its commitment to delivering a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Alison Black, Coordinator for the Argyll and Bute Rape Crisis Centre, says: ‘We’re so pleased to be part of the Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away programme.  This funding will provide prevention workshops and give young people access to specialist services. Without it, there is no way we would have been able to reach all young people across the whole Argyll and Bute area, and now we can.’

Shona Robison, Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, says: ‘Each and every project receiving funding through this important programme is making a crucial contribution to fighting deprivation and inequality in Scotland.

‘The Scottish Government is determined to deliver a real legacy from the Commonwealth Games coming to Scotland in 2014, and this funding will help ensure people the length and breadth of Scotland who need this vital support are benefiting.

‘The difference this kind of support can make to the lives of individuals cannot be underestimated, and we’ll be working closely with Sport Relief to ensure the projects help make a lasting difference.’