STV and the Hunter Foundation have joined forces to launch a charitable venture focusing on cutting child poverty in Scotland. Among the project’s trustees is broadcaster Lorraine Kelly. Here she explains why everyone should help drag Scottish children out of poverty.
The blisters have just healed after her gruelling Comic Relief desert trek, and the nails on her little toes are yet to grow back, but Lorraine Kelly has already begun her next work for charity.
This time round she won’t be slogging through the Kenyan desert she’ll be sitting round a table deciding which projects will best help alleviate child poverty in Scotland.
She’s one of seven trustees of a new charitable venture between STV and the Hunter Foundation.
“I was approached to do it and when I saw the other people involved I was very honoured to be part of it. It’s going to run alongside some projects that are already in existence.”
STV and the Hunter Foundation will work closely with six major Scottish charities who are recognised as well-established experts in the area of child poverty Aberlour, Action for Children, Barnardo’s Scotland, Children First, Save the Children Scotland and One Parent Families Scotland.
“People in Scotland are so generous, especially when it comes to helping their own. I don’t mean they won’t give to projects that help needy people abroad, but with so many children living in poverty in Scotland this is something we really need to focus on.”
The venture will seek to create long-term, sustainable change in the lives of Scotland’s most at-risk children and young people. In addition to raising funds for projects across the country, the campaign will focus on raising awareness, challenging stereotypes and bringing attention to the real extent of child poverty in Scotland, aiming to tackle both the causes and effects of poverty and disadvantage.
“I was amazed to learn that one in four children in Scotland live in poverty,” Lorraine continues. “I was brought up in quite a rough part of Scotland, in the Gorbals, but I was fortunate in that my dad was working and both of my parents encouraged and supported me.
“My mum and dad were brilliant. One of the things about poverty is it’s not just about having material things there’s an intellectual poverty as well.
“When I was four and a half I could read and write, because my mum and dad read to me all the time. That’s a huge advantage. The world is very competitive these days and it shocked me to learn that by the age of 11 a quarter of Scottish children can’t read or write properly.
“It’s difficult enough to get jobs and if you can’t read or write by age 11 you’re going to fall through the net.”
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The six charities involved in the collaboration deliver over 320 child poverty related projects in communities across Scotland. From these projects, the venture will select a shortlist of projects to receive extra funding.
The venture was announced last week and Lorraine’s fellow trustees on the project are Sir Tom Hunter, STV chief executive Rob Woodward, STV chairman Richard Finlay, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management Martin Gilbert, chief financial officer at STV George Watt and THF CEO Ewan Hunter.
The Hunter Foundation is covering all operational costs so that every penny donated by the public goes directly to support children.
Lorraine addes, “I’m really inspired to be working alongside Tom Hunter. He’s a real philanthropist and has put a lot of his own wealth into good causes. He didn’t have to do any of that he just wants to put something back.”
Over the summer, STV will roll out an extensive campaign of television coverage and special events to raise funds for the project. Although she will probably be involved in some sort of fund-raising activities, much of Lorraine’s involvement will take place behind the scenes and won’t make use of her broadcasting skills.
“I’m quite looking forward to sitting down and looking at all these fantastic projects and deciding which ones are most deserving of the extra funding. I’m sure it will be very hard though because most of them will be doing brilliant work but we won’t be able to give money to all of them.”
Lorraine feels a lot of youngsters are unfairly victimised.
“It feels great to be involved in this project. I’m an honorary colonel in the cadets and it’s an absolute privilege to work alongside these kids. A lot of kids get demonised if you look at some sections of the media you’d think every child wore a hoodie and caused vandalism, but that’s simply not the case.”
For Lorraine, equipping children with the tools that will enable them to earn a good living as adults is the greatest boost anyone can give to a child’s life.
“Of course healthcare and getting enough to eat and having a warm coat for the winter are important. But for me it’s all about education. I’ve been very lucky with my career and I’ve been able to give my own daughter a great start in life. I think it’s fantastic we don’t have to pay for higher education in Scotland.
“Kids who live in poverty are not as likely to go to school, they’re more likely to play truant. I feel like I should give something back though, and help those who are less fortunate than I’ve been.”