FUNDING from The Big Lottery has provided a lifeline for Play Alloa, allowing it to continue offering a range of diverse services.

The Clackmannanshire charity facilitates play and social activities for children, adults with disabilities and additional support needs (ASN).

The funding will allow for a holistic approach, improving the lives and opportunities for young people 12-18 with ASN and their families in the county.

The welcome influx of £150,000 will allow it to push forward with its plans, after a period of financial uncertainty earlier in the year.

Maria Malcolm, project manager, said: “It’s important that children with disabilities have an opportunity to experience free, self-directed play.

“That’s so important in terms of them making choices, finding out who they are, experiencing risk and challenge, not being molly-coddled.

“It’s [also] very important that our young people take that free play and everything they’ve learned there, and it becomes an age appropriate skill that they learn.

“It just increases their own self-value, self-worth and we have a lot of young people who have a lot of skills and we hope we can develop a lot of that.”

Play Alloa, which has its own premises on Broad Street, will receive £50,000 a year to provide youth clubs, buddies group, youth lifeskills day session, parent/carer support group.

It will also help with serviceuser volunteering, development work and volunteering.

The funding has been crucial for the project, with Maria saying that it was a case of “life and death” earlier in the year.

She added: “We could have disappeared this year and this is a very special place.

“We now have over 162 families that we support across Clackmannanshire and this place could have disappeared.

“This was an unused building for a long time and [now] you can feel the energy that’s in this space and how much it belongs to the people that are here.”

Clacks MSP Keith Brown officially announced the funding at Play Alloa, on Friday, June 23, and has welcomed the news.

He said: “I know that this funding is so important to the development of Play Alloa and I know from my many visits just how much the services delivered are enjoyed and relied upon by the children, young people and their families and carers.

“Everyone at Play Alloa does extremely important, supportive and inspiring work and this funding is continued recognition of this.”

Play Alloa welcomes fundraisers and volunteers of all ages to help with day, evening and Saturday sessions, or new board members, to help in its work.