TWO local organisations have received more than a total of £125,000 of support from the National Lottery.

The groups are the Ore Valley Business Centre based, Fife Young Carers, in Lochgelly; and BRAG, in Crosshill, for their Benarty People's Pantry facility.

Fife Young Carers received £117, 119 and they will use the funding to continue providing young carers, aged 16-25, with person centred support, information and training opportunities, during critical transition periods.

This will include 1:1 sessions with a transition worker, group work and respite opportunities. The project, over three years, will involve 102 participants.

Jodie Burn, Acting Service Co-ordinator, for Main Street based, Fife Young Carers, said: “We are grateful for the continued support from The National Lottery Community Fund which will allow us to support over 100 young adult carers aged 16-25 across Fife over three years.

"We will be able to help them with transitions in their lives through developing coping strategies, building resilience and increasing confidence. We will provide person centred support, information, training, and respite opportunities through one-to-one support and group work.

“The generosity of The National Lottery, through this grant, is important as it will enable us to make a positive difference in someone’s life by helping to reduce the impact a caring role can have on a young adult carer and enabling them to achieve their individual goals and aspirations for the future.”

The Benarty People's Pantry received £9,924 from the National Lottery.

This group will use the funding to maintain its emergency food parcel distribution service for the Benarty and Lochgelly areas as a response to COVID-19. This will help those most vulnerable and bring the community together.

The project sees a team of volunteers organise and provide food parcels for those who are elderly and vulnerable on a weekly basis, through delivery and collection.

Announcing the funding, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “In these difficult and unprecedented times, it’s heartening to see the way Scottish communities are coming together to provide each other with support.

"These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, recognise the hugely valuable and important contribution that Scotland’s voluntary and community sector plays in boosting the health, wellbeing and morale of local people.

“Many of them have found innovative ways to keep their communities connected during the current crisis, whilst others will support people in the future when they can physically come back together to make great things happen in their community."