A LOCHGELLY based charity that uses music therapy to help some of Fife's most isolated youngsters has been given a cash boost thanks to Santander.

Nordoff Robbins Scotland, which is the only music therapy charity in the country and has a base at Crosshill Business Centre, received a donation of £3,600 from The Santander Foundation after their Dunfermline branch supported the organisation's bid for funding.

And some of the money could help towards the charity's fundraising drive for a new music therapy centre that would be based in Dunfermline.

Nordoff Robbins Scotland, who have 16 therapists working in four centres across Scotland, mainly work with children under 12 who suffer from conditions such as autism, learning disabilities, complex neurological disorders and global developmental delay.

Scott Anderson-Watson, branch director, said: "We do discovery grants and charities can apply themselves, or customers can recommend local charities to us, and then it goes to a panel to see who is awarded a grant.

"It's great because local businesses and charities can get involved and we can see how we can help and support them. Someone came into the branch and applied and we supported the application.

"It was good to find out what they do; they work with schools, other charities and referrals and help children who could be potentially excluded or isolated in school through music therapy.

"They're constantly having to fundraise to replace instruments on a yearly basis, and Janet (Halton, executive director of Nordoff Robbins) said they're looking for a premises in Dunfermline."

The charity, who previously opened a base on the site of Headwell School in 1998 before their Fife based moved to Lochgelly in 2007, also work with people who have other conditions such as dementia, cerebral palsy and the after effects of stroke.