Edinburgh disabled children's charity The Yard wins £2 million funding pledge from First Minister Humza Yousaf

An Edinburgh charity that provides support to disabled children and young people, and their families is set to receive up to £2 million of future funding from the Scottish Government.

First Minister Humza Yousaf made the commitment during a visit to The Yard's head office at Canonmills, where he met children and their families who benefit from the charity and saw the adventure play facilities offered by the centre. Subject to the government budget being approved by the Scottish Parliament, The Yard will receive the extra funding over the next three financial years.

The First Minister said: “I am absolutely committed to improving outcomes for disabled children and their families across Scotland. Visiting The Yard has given me a chance to see their outstanding work first-hand, and hear more about the support being provided by the charity.

“I was extremely impressed with the flexible and creative ways in which The Yard are offering services and support to disabled young people and their families, many of whom I know are facing additional and significant challenges.

“I sincerely hope that this vital funding will enable The Yard to grow their services and offer support to more families of young disabled children across Scotland – and I look forward to continuing to engage with The Yard in all of their family support centres in Edinburgh, Fife and Dundee.”

The Yard’s chief executive Celine Sinclair said: “We are absolutely thrilled that First Minister has committed to working with us to grow our services in Scotland. This announcement is transformational for disabled children and their families, and we look forward to working with our partners to ensure that our children get the support they need to get the best start in life and thrive.”

The funding move follows a cross-party “Campaign for Fairer Funding”, which pointed out that government funding for The Yard had been static at £90,000 a year since 2016. The charity enough said that amount was enough to support 550 children, but seven years on The Yard’s reach had grown fourfold, delivering family support, respite, school and play services to over 2,300 children in the East of Scotland from three centres.

Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs welcomed Mr Yousaf’s announcement and said it would make “a huge difference” to the lives of disabled children, young people and their families. He said: “This funding will allow the specialist team at the Yard to reach even more children and young people, changing their lives for the better. The Campaign for Fairer Funding has been successful in raising awareness of the exceptional work the Yard does and securing funding to expand their services.”

Edinburgh Central SNP MSP and Culture Secretary Angus Robertson also hailed the announcement. He said: “I’m proud to be part of this Scottish Government led by Humza Yousaf, which has shown it will be there to support for those who need it. The First Minister’s announcement will ensure The Yard can remain open and continue to provide the space and opportunity for children and young people with disabilities to play, learn, and make friends.”