Anti-sectarian groups face closure
PDF Anti-bigot groups say they face closure after being warned by the Scottish government that their funding is to be scrapped.
Three projects – Show Racism the Red Card, Nil by Mouth and Sense Over Sectarianism – are at risk after they were told their cash is being axed next year.
Yesterday, two of the groups said the government had confirmed their funding would be pulled.
Show Racism the Red Card, an anti-racism group supported by top footballers, will lose around £100,000 a year in the cuts.
Anti-sectarian group Nil by Mouth, who celebrate their 10th anniversary this year, have been told they will lose the same amount of funding.
And Glasgow City Council-run Sense Over Sectarianism, which received £450,000 over three years for school projects, will also be affected.
Last night, Nil by Mouth’s Lisa Campbell said: “Our current funding stream ends next March and we’ve been told not to expect financial assistance next year.
“Sectarianism is still a live issue in Scotland and any decision to end our funding would dramatically reduce the positive work we can deliver.
“It’s our 10th anniversary as a registered charity but we have not celebrated because we’re not sure if we’ll be here in 2011.”
Sense Over Sectarianism were launched in 2002 by Glasgow City Council’s education department and run a number of projects in schools aimed at stamping out bigotry.
The group’s co-ordinator Alison Logan said: “We were told that after this year there would be no more funding from the Scottish government. It makes the development of our work harder and will impact on the projects we have in schools.
• Full story at the Sunday Mail.
