Government grants Edinburgh funding to help young people play and socialise

Gordon Macdonald MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, has expressed his delight as The City of Edinburgh Council is to receive £846,000 from The Scottish Government to encourage children and young people to play and socialise as part of the recovery from the pandemic.

Councils across Scotland will receive a share of £15million to support summer activities that are already in place in certain areas.

The support will specifically target those aged up to 25 from low income households who may otherwise struggle to access such experiences during the holidays.

£5m will also be distributed among prominent Scottish children’s charities such as Barnardo’s and Who Cares Scotland.

Mr MacDonald said: “I am absolutely delighted at this investment in Edinburgh’s children and young people, who have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic as they have not been able to meet up with friends or play the sports they love.

“Coming out of the pandemic young people have told us that their mental health will be a priority and the SNP Scottish Government has listened to them and is investing in summer activities.

“This will have a positive impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of our young people, which will be extremely important when coming out of lockdown and into recovery.”