INVERCLYDE is among six Scottish communities getting cash to develop projects to tackle sectarianism and hatred.

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs Roseanna Cunningham announced funding for Inverclyde, Slamannan, Twechar, Shotts, Blantyre and East Ayrshire, all of which have been praised for the work they are already doing locally. They will share £230,000 to build on what they have been doing and devise a series of community-led responses to combat sectarianism.

The funding is part of a programme of activity to test approaches to tackling sectarianism, and help to identify effective interventions which will improve the lives of communities across Scotland.

Inverclyde Community Development Trust will use the money to:

-- Produce an anti-sectarian drama
-- Support local youth groups to explore sectarianism as an issue
-- Run a small-scale media project examining the experience of being an “Inverclyder”
--  Develop local partnerships involving statutory bodies and faith groups

Diane McAlllister, manager at Inverclyde Community Development Trust, said: “This funding enables us to undertake intergenerational work round the issue of sectarianism and in doing so build a stronger and more cohesive community."

Ms Cunningham said: “Discrimination of any kind has no place in modern Scotland and we need to do everything we can to stop it wherever and whenever it occurs, whilst tackling the root causes. Scotland’s communities are at the forefront of the fight against sectarianism. They are the ones who are having to deal with it day in, day out, and they are the ones who can help drive change.

“As a Government, we’ve always made it clear that we don’t have a monopoly on wisdom and I firmly believe that a community-led approach to tackling sectarianism is central to tackling this problem. These six communities are already driving forward work to eradicate bigotry once and for all and are doing some fantastic work. We want to support them. This funding will help them further develop the work they have already begun and devise new approaches to tackling sectarianism. If successful, the approaches used could be replicated more widely right across Scotland.

“True change will only come about when we all take a stand against sectarianism and do our part in the fight against bigotry and hatred.”