COWDENBEAH MSP Annabelle Ewing is giving support to a charity’s ‘No Bad Ends’ campaign which is highlighting that young people from deprived communities are much more likely to die before their 25th birthday than those from more affluent areas .

The Aberlour Child Care Trust campaign was launched following research that shows young people from the most deprived communities are up to three times more likely to die before they reach their 25th birthday. Aberlour is appealing to members of the public to start a monthly donation to the charity to help to reach more children and young people.

Ms Ewing said that it was important to address what could be done in her Cowdenbeath constituency to tackle pockets of deprivation: “I share Aberlour’s commitment to making sure that a bad start doesn’t define the rest of someone’s life in 21st century Scotland. "Aberlour is to be congratulated on this bold and confronting campaign, which is calling for a big debate and real action to tackle poverty and change the outcomes for young people in our most deprived communities. This is a call elected representatives must respond to.

“Meeting Aberlour in the Scottish Parliament gave me a chance to learn more about their work, this campaign and what we can do together, here in the Cowdenbeath constituency, to change the outcomes for young people facing a challenging start to life.”

SallyAnn Kelly, CEO, of the Aberlour Trust commented: “Aberlour knows the real and proven difference that our services make to the lives of children and young people in Scotland’s most deprived communities.

"It’s time for a conversation about how we end the unacceptable consequences of poverty in this country. We need a political response that meets the needs of vulnerable young people. “