Midlothian Sure Start (MSS) won the top award at the Friends' children's respite care awards at Arniston House, Gorebridge.

Others included Saltersgate School and Children 1st.

With an award of £30,000 over two years, MSS's Midlothian Helping Hand Project will pilot a sitter service in the county offering respite to vulnerable children and families.

Lone families

The project will be for families, who have limited support and have at least one child under five.

Priority will be given to lone families, those affected by disability and those in crisis.

MSS will work with Homelink and with Firsthand (Edinburgh Sitters) to provide the service.

In the first year 15 families and 25 children will be helped, but the intention is to develop the service to 75 families by the third year.

Peer mentors

Saltersgate School won the two year, £20,000 award for its proposed weekly, after-school club, which will benefit 24 families and 24 children.

Saltersgate will work in partnership with the Aberlour Trust, which already runs a respite project for the Friends of Midlothian's Children, and intends to involve peer mentors from Dalkeith and St David's High schools as volunteers.

Children 1st, Midlothian Young Carers, won the £5,000 award (£10,000 over two years) for its 'Respite Activities at Children 1st' project to maintain and run its minibus, which will allow 50 families and 65 children to benefit from respite projects.

Care projects

These will include weeks away to Mull and Fort William, a residential weekend for young carers in West Linton a mountain bike project and summer day trips.

The agency will work in partnership with the Princess Royal Trust, the Bike Station and the Roses project.

FOMC chairman Dr Jacqueline McDonnell said patron Henny Dundas and the FOMC board were delighted with the results.

"The applications were excellent and this means that numerous families and children in Midlothian will now benefit from a range of respite care projects.

Magnificent feat

"We were extremely fortunate to be able to keep the funds that had been awarded towards our respite care centre and we thank all of our funders for their kindness and support in allowing us to do this work."

Thanks also went to Grange Estates' support which will allow the FOMC to provide a further caravan for respite holidays.

The speaker at the event, Boyd McAdam, who is head of GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child), said: "Over time the Friends' activities have developed and expanded into providing caravans for respite care.

"This in itself has been a magnificent feat.

"I am extremely impressed at what has been achieved, culminating in today's awards."