VENTURING Out CIC has received a funding boost for its additional support needs programme, allowing families to enjoy an organised outdoor activity together.

The not-for-profit company, based on the outskirts of Tranent, near Windygoul, offers outdoor activities, from water sports to rock climbing, bushcraft and school holiday provision.

The profit it makes from its activities goes towards making sure projects are available for people who cannot access them, such as families who have children with additional support needs or are living with financial hardship, as well as other socially disadvantaged people.

It received £2,196.48 from ‘The Big Co-op Payout’ through the Co-op Local Community Fund, which has now started its latest round of funding and includes several East Lothian groups and charities.

Co-op members select a group as their cause and, every time they buy Co-op-branded products, a portion of the sale will go towards their selected cause; the more members that select the cause and the more products they buy, the more money it will receive.

The money Venturing Out received from the Co-op went towards its additional support needs programme, which is in its third year and mainly funded by East Lothian Council.

The programme allows those with additional needs and their families to enjoy an outdoor activity together, something that has proven vital in recent months.

Antony Stone, operations director, said: “Given the recent events of the pandemic, all funding is most welcome to help us deliver our community projects.

“For many of our families, these activities were the only opportunity to get out and about with the whole family to take part in organised activity. Mental health and wellbeing have been affecting many during these tough times and the feedback from our sessions is what drives us.”

His colleague Claire Mackenzie stressed the importance of the additional support needs programme, adding that for some families it was “almost a sense of relief” to be able to take part in an activity again, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen many people stay at home for the past 10 months.

Venturing Out was forced to close last March due to lockdown and was finally able to reopen last July, with enhanced regulations and measures in place – it is currently closed again.

Despite lockdown, 2020 was a very positive year for the company.

Since it reopened, it has run more than 40 sessions as well as 15 parent sessions.

The number of families it works with increased by 20, with 79 families now on its database.

Its summer programme was the biggest one it had ever run, running more sessions than the whole of 2019 combined.

For more information on Venturing Out, visit www.venturingout.org.uk

Also receiving money from the Co-op was Windygoul Nursery, which received more than £2,000, and the third Tranent Rainbows, which got more than £1,900.