St Andrew’s Hospice are delighted to have received a National Lottery award from The National Lottery Community Fund. The award, matched with funding from the South Lanarkshire Health & Social Care Partnership, will be used to fund Compassionate Lanarkshire (CLAN) for three years.

CLAN is a partnership project between St Andrew’s, Kilbryde and Strathcarron Hospices which aims to support vulnerable and isolated individuals and families in Lanarkshire affected by a life-limiting illness including; cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease and progressive neurological conditions.

The project will offer emotional, therapeutic and practical support to help individuals and families identify, value and build on their strengths to achieve the best possible quality of life. CLAN will work with service users – clients and carers – in their own homes and communities to identify and build on their strengths, increase knowledge and understanding, manage stress and anxiety, enhance resilience, improve emotional health and wellbeing, identify and access services, supports and opportunities: all with the aim of reducing isolation, loneliness and anticipatory grief.

The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “I am delighted that St Andrew’s, Kilbryde and Strathcarron Hospices have been successful in securing a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. The award will make a big difference where it is needed most and I wish the Compassionate Lanarkshire partnership every success as it goes on to develop and expand its project for the benefit of their local community.”

Joy Farquharson, Deputy Chief Executive of St Andrew’s Hospice and bid lead said:

“The three Hospices which make up the CLAN partnership are delighted to have been successful in our bid to secure this funding and are excited to develop and implement this project across Lanarkshire over the next 3 years. Including contributions from each Hospice, over £1 million will be available to ensure individuals living with life limiting conditions and their families have increased access to specialist support and utilise their individual strengths to improve their quality of life. Our CLAN teams, which include Co-ordinators, Support Workers, Complementary Therapists and Volunteer Befrienders, will work with the client and their family to support individual needs.”

Val de Souza, Director, Health and Social Care, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership said, “This initiative is a further step in our commitment to maximise the support available for service users and their carers to assist people to remain at home when it is their wish to do so. We will look to see how this service can be expanded to wider community groups to further the range and reach of our partners in providing as much support as people need as close to their own homes as possible in a way which is accessible to them.”