National projects receive additional £7,500 funding

Four projects across the UK have been recognised at the inaugural ScottishPower Foundation Awards which took place earlier this month at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The four projects to receive an award were:

• Wigtown Book Festival – presented with the Community Impact and Engagement Award
• Loch Lomond and Trossachs Countryside Trust – presented with the Charity Champion Award
• Northern Lights – presented with the Innovation Award
• The National Library of Wales – presented with the School Partnership Award

The Awards aim to recognise and celebrate the amazing achievements of the 19 outstanding charities and non-profit organisations who have received funding from the ScottishPower Foundation over the past year.

Representatives from each project attended an awards ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland on Wednesday 10 September 2014. Each of the winning projects received an additional £7,500 funding to further enhance the hugely valuable services they currently provide.

The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013, to support charitable projects and reinforce the energy company’s commitment to charitable work throughout Britain. The Foundation provides funds to support charitable initiatives that promote the advancement of education, environmental protection, citizenship and community development, arts, culture and science, as well as the prevention of poverty or disadvantage. Its aim is to make a significant and lasting contribution to society and enhance the quality of life in local communities.

It is dedicated to supporting the charity sector and bridging the gap between business and the community.

Ann Loughrey, Trustee and Executive Officer of the ScottishPower Foundation, said:

“I’d like to say a huge congratulations to our Award winners. We work with truly inspirational projects and the charitable work they do is admirable. We are delighted to have been able to play such an important role in this process and I look forward to seeing the benefit the additional funding awarded will bring to local communities across the UK.”

Further information on the Award winners:

• Wigtown Book Festival – 10 day literary festival featuring around 200 events and activities, the event was set up 15 years ago to support the economy in the local Dumfries and Galloway area.

• Loch Lomond and Trossachs Countryside Trust – initiative which encourages those suffering from long term ill heath to get active again and to make walking accessible for all. Using the vast space across the surroundings of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, the project is now one of the best examples of health walks in Scotland, with another three groups run by the programme.

• Northern Lights –project working with seriously ill children in Cheshire giving a unique experience of a very special holiday they will never forget. Every December, the charity takes a group of children, who are receiving treatment at Alder Hey and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospitals, on a 5-day holiday to the Arctic Circle in Lapland to meet Father Christmas.

• The National Library of Wales – project which plays an integral role in the Welsh Government’s DT100 festival, celebrating the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas, Wales’ most famous English language poet. As part of the celebrations, the library has developed an educational programme aimed at making Dylan’s poetry more accessible for younger audiences.

For further information, media interviews or images please contact Kirsty Macleod or Jen Ward at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628 or email spfoundation@stripecommunications.com

Notes to editors:

ScottishPower Foundation Awards 2014 winners, by category:

Community impact / engagement

• Action for Achievement
• Clwyd Theatre Cymru
• Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
• Edinburgh International Book Festival
• Llangollen Eisteddfod
• National Museum of Scotland
• Northern Lights
• Royal Scottish Geographic Society
• RSPB
• ScottishPower Pipeband
• Trinity Mirror
• Wigtown Book Festival

Innovation

• Children’s University
• Edinburgh International Book Festival
• Llangollen Eisteddfod
• National Theatre of Scotland
• Northern Lights
• Progrez
• SYHA

School partnership

• Children’s University
• Edinburgh International Book Festival
• Llangollen Eisteddfod
• National Library of Wales
• Outward Bound

Charity Champion

• Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Countryside Trust
• Royal Scottish Geographic Society
• RSPB

About the ScottishPower Foundation

The ScottishPower Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC043862) and a company limited by guarantee (SC445116). The Foundation’s aim is to make a significant and lasting contribution to society and enhance the quality of life in local communities. It provides funding to registered charities and non-profit organisations for the following purposes: the advancement of education; the advancement of environmental protection; the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science; the prevention or relief of poverty and the relief of those in need by reason of disability or other disadvantage; the advancement of citizenship and community development.