Simita Kumar MSP travelled to Tynecastle Park to meet with staff and young people involved in our charity’s community work.
Today, Big Hearts welcomed the Equalities Minister to Tynecastle Park to share some of the work delivered through the Community Cohesion Fund. This includes our T.E.A.M and Welcome Through Football projects, both of which are engaging with young people from a wide range of backgrounds including minority groups and New Scots.
During her visit to Big Hearts, Equalities Minister Simita Kumar said: “The Programme for Government places a renewed focus on community cohesion, setting out practical actions to strengthen our collective response to shared challenges and build more resilient communities.
“Building on the success of last year’s launch in supporting the excellent work of local organisations like Big Hearts, we are increasing the Community Cohesion Fund to £500,000 this year. This will mean we can help even more grassroots initiatives that bring communities together, tackle division and promote inclusion.
“We will also establish a Ministerial Taskforce on Community Cohesion to identify priority areas for action and address emerging issues affecting communities.”
Craig Wilson, Chief Exec at Big Hearts said: “The universal language of football allows us to bring together people from a wide range of backgrounds, and offer them opportunities to build positive connections in their local community.
We are pleased to receive support from the Scottish Government and STV Appeal Community Cohesion Fund to strengthen accessibility and inclusion across our support services here in Edinburgh.
This funding enables our charity to host more football-based activities as a neutral entry point of engagement for isolated adults and young people, and extend the support to their families. We are committed to make their local football ground a trusted and friendly space where they are welcomed, feel listened to and supported.”
Big Hearts was one of 38 beneficiaries of the Community Cohesion Fund in 2025-26. The fund sits alongside substantial funding which supports wider initiatives on areas such as advancing anti-racism, interfaith dialogue, integration, tackling social isolation and loneliness – helping to build connected, inclusive and resilient communities by fostering trust, belonging and support for people and communities across Scotland.
– September 2026 –