Teen wins public vote to help struggling Moray families
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A SPEYSIDE 13-year-old has won over the hearts and minds of Moray voters to secure funding for her project to help children facing restrictions due to financial hardship.
Hannah Weir was awarded £2000 for No Worries in Moray, hosted by Moray School Bank, after collecting most votes in this year's #YOUCHOOSE4, a participatory budgeting scheme which allocates small grants of between £200 and £2000 to community projects.
Hannah's project – which offers days out for financially struggling families – was one of 51 which received a share of the £40,000 up for grabs this year.
Elidh Brown, tsiMORAY programme co-ordinator, said: "This is an exceptional result and achievement as the only applicant to be under 16 years of age."
A record 1136 people voted this year. Certificates were handed out at a celebration and results event on Friday, December 13, at The Inkwell, in Elgin.
The 18-month-old No Worries in Moray organises outings to places such as the Highland Wildlife Park or Landmark. The cash will go towards a project minibus.
Hannah said: "The families that we take out have either used the school bank or the food bank.
"My mum started Moray School Bank and I learned more about poverty in Moray and in Scotland in general. People have a lot of worries about being in poverty – not just the parents. When children see their parents worry, they start to worry. It's about just having a day out to relax, not think about money, and just be with your family.
"We give all the kids in each family a £10 gift shop voucher and card to get lunch, so I organise that and the transport."
Hannah’s mum, Debi Weir, started Moray School Bank in 2017 to provide school uniforms and warm winter clothing. She said: "We had moved up in June 2016 from west Lothian and we'd done a bit of volunteering for the school bank there. Hannah said to me 'why don't we start a school bank?' I didn't think there was a need for one here – I thought 'surely not'. I went away and did research into free school meals and in-work poverty and I realised that actually there's double the need here than there is in west Lothian.
"So Hannah and I put our Christmas money together – £120 each – and we started a crowdfunder and set up a Facebook page – and here we are 900 children later."
The mum added: "I can't describe how proud I am of Hannah. It's amazing and she's fabulous. She's doing a great job."
Members of the public were able to choose from projects across two broad themes: Be Healthy, and Connecting Communities through CHIME (connectedness, hope and optimism, identity, meaning and empowerment). No Worries in Moray was overall winner in the Be Healthy category and Cullen Youth Club came top in the Connecting Communities theme.
Elidh added: "We just wish we had a further £40,000 to distribute as there really are so many great projects."
The #YOUCHOOSE4 public vote went online in late November, closing on December 9.
Other projects with most votes in the Be Healthy category included REAP Moray School Gardens, and Ray’s Opportunities Improving the understanding of Autism. Groups which received a smaller share included 1st Lhanbryde and Urquhart Guiding Oakwood Cooking Skills for the Future and Elgin City Band Elgin City Band.
Connecting Communities through CHIME main winners included Forres Men’s Shed Festive Soup ‘n’ Social; Elgin & District Men’s Shed; Cullen Men’s Shed Motivation via Workshop; Cullen Community Allotment Association Slabbed access to raised box beds; Buckie Roots Building Community Spirit; Moray Reach Out Wool Spinning for All. Smaller shares went to Quarriers – Arrows Music Group Sound Out and Findhorn Bay Arts – In the Mix Creativity among many others.
All results can be viewed at www.tsimoray.org.uk/youchoose4.
