ScottishPower Foundation, Paul Brannigan and Progrez team up to energise unemployed young people in Glasgow

From Barrowfield Boy to BAFTA BRIT winner, Paul Brannigan helped 20 young people to follow in his footsteps and create their own path to success through a unique training opportunity using the power of drama and sport.

My Place Project, which has been developed by the charity, Progrez, and funded by the ScottishPower Foundation, was launched on Thursday 26 of June at the Maryhill Hub. Run in the Wynford area of Maryhill, the project will focus on developing the skills that unemployed young people need, to help them secure employment.

Paul Brannigan met with the 20 young people participating in the programme and drew on his own experiences of overcoming the pitfalls and grabbing the opportunities that led to him being discovered as an acting talent and has seen him win many accolades including a BAFTA Brit Award.

The project will run for 20 weeks and will help the young 18-24 year olds to find work, improve personal fitness, learn new skills, gain work experience and understand their strengths.

Paul Brannigan, BAFTA Scotland-winning Scottish actor, said:

“It’s thanks to the ScottishPower Foundation that Progrez are able to offer this opportunity to the young people of Glasgow. People know how passionate I am about helping young people address the challenges they face today, unemployment being one of the biggest. I am proud to be involved with this programme and am looking forward to working on this.”

Carroll Kelly, Chairperson of Progrez said:

“Thanks to the ScottishPower Foundation, Progrez has teamed up with Paul Brannigan to help young people who have experienced poverty. The generous funding received will provide these young people with an opportunity that they would not normally have. I am very much looking forward to the launch and in particular the Paul Brannigan’s presentation, where he will talk through his personal journey;  both the trials and the triumphs and hopefully inspire confidence in the participants that they too can make positive changes.”

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

“The ScottishPower Foundation is committed to the local community and we are delighted to be able to help with this fantastic project. By giving the young people of Glasgow a second chance and allowing them to improve their employability through workshops it will hopefully have a lasting impact not only on their lives but on the wider community.

“The funding we have provided will support the reintegration and skill development of unemployed people in Glasgow and we are looking forward to seeing Paul Brannigan meet the 20 young people that this programme will support over the coming months and in the future.”

For further information please contact Stuart Martin or Jen Ward at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8620 or 07540 372528. You can also email the team at scottishpower@stripecommunications.com

Notes to editors:

• 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.
• Progrez received an £18,000 funding award from ScottishPower Foundation for My Place Project
• Progrez past funders include Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, The Big Lottery, NHS Lanarkshire,
• Progrez has worked on collaborative projects with Action for Children, The Celtic Foundation and Partick Thistle Community Trust.