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Enterprise Growth Fund recipients
01/02/2012
Finance Secretary John Swinney visited Spartans Community Football Academy to announce the organisations that will receive investment from the £6 million Enterprise Growth Fund. Spartans are one of more than 60 successful organisations.
The Minister met some of young people who will benefit from the £150,000 grant that Spartans will receive.
The Enterprise Growth Fund - launched in July last year - was given an additional £2m in December to invest in Scotland’s Third Sector.
The fund received an overwhelming 600 applications. More than 60 growing charities and social enterprises from across Scotland will receive grants between £25,000 and £200,000.
Mr Swinney visited Spartans Community Football Academy to make the announcement and find out how they would be using the investment to extend their current premises allowing them to work with more people in the community. He was joined by representatives from the Wise Group, and other consortium partners, who are managing the fund.
Mr Swinney met a number of the youngsters who will benefit from the new facilities at Spartans, including Conor, 18, who now works at the Academy after being expelled from school. Conor had a number of challenges but started volunteering before being given a full time role with Spartans.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said:
"I'm pleased to see the Enterprise Growth Fund up and running and delivering support to Scotland's third sector organisations.
"The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that third sector bodies make to our economy. They create employment opportunities, improve our public services and at the same time reach out to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
"The Enterprise Growth Fund is a great way to help these organisations become sustainable and reach their full potential in the current economic climate. I look forward to hearing about the good news stories that come as a result of this funding."
Diane Greenlees, Project Director, the Wise Group said:
“The competition for investment from the Enterprise Growth Fund has been intense. There are so many third sector organisations across Scotland who submitted strong proposals. The organisations that were selected to receive investment demonstrated that this would make a significant difference to the work they do now and into the future.
“The Enterprise Growth Fund team look forward to continuing to work with them to use this investment to realise their plans. The investment in these organisations will contribute greatly to the Scottish economy and make a positive difference to the lives’ of the people and communities they work with throughout Scotland.”
Craig Graham Chairman The Spartans Community Academy is delighted:
“We look forward to being able to work with even more local youngsters as a result of this investment. We expect to have over 100 more each week at the Academy involved in a range of indoor and outdoor activities. In particular our indoor space will include a dance floor which will attract more girls to have fun and stay active”.
Conor Edmonds, Duty Manager Assistant, said:
“Before I started to volunteer at the Academy I was in real danger of going down the wrong track. The people at the Academy gave me a chance, they believed in me. Working here has changed my life”.
Related information
The grant will allow Spartans to build two extra changing rooms and increase the size of their club room which is used for a range of youth work activities and community events.
This space will allow them to generate more income, which they will invest into the community projects they run. Projects like Spartans Smilers, which uses football to promote good dental hygiene, and Street Football in a Safe Place, which allows young people to use their facilities after school to play, socialise and develop life skills.
Spartans works with people of all ages. Since the Academy opened, the number of youth related nuisance calls in the local area has significantly reduced.
A full list of Enterprise Growth Fund recipients please visit www.thewisegroup.co.uk