Cumbernauld charity Tony's Safe Place receive Asda funding
The funding will be used to support the charity's work with people affected by addiction, poverty, loneliness, and poor mental health.
Tony's Safe Place was set up by grandmother-of-two, Linda Rice, in 2018, following the death of her son Tony at the age of 24.
Linda Rice with her son Tony (Image: Supplied) The grant is part of a wider £60,000 funding initiative by Asda Foundation, aimed at supporting community groups and charities across the UK.
Tony's Safe Place intends to use the money to take the community on trips to Scottish beauty spots where people can enjoy the mental wellness benefits of cold-water swimming.
Ms Rice, founder of Tony's Safe Place, said: 'After we lost Tony in July 2018, we were all in total despair.
"We quickly realised there was nowhere nearby we could go to talk and find support, something everyone in our circle of family and friends desperately needed – and I decided straight away I needed to do something because I was concerned another family could lose someone and find themselves in a similar situation.
'By November that year, after some initial training, I was able to get a centre to host meetings for people impacted not just by the fallout of suicide, but by addiction, poverty, isolation and poor mental health – all the things that can lead to tragedy if the right support isn't there.
'By 2022, we opened our community hub, Tony's Safe Place, in the centre of Cumbernauld.
"Tony was an amazing person, the life and soul of the party, and he always did his best to help other people.
"What's heartbreaking is that he didn't manage to reach out for help when he needed it himself.
"As a family, looking back I think we tiptoed around his problems, and now that I've learned so much more about these things, I'd say that's not what you should do, you need to be asking the hard questions.
"It was a very difficult lesson for us to learn, and now we want to help other families in similar situations to get the right support when they need it.'
Lynne Morrison, community and customer champion at Asda Cumbernauld, said: "Linda and all the team at Tony's Safe Place are an inspiration, and absolutely deserving of this grant.
"They do so much good in our community, offering support and understanding to families and individuals going through some of the most difficult times of their lives and we're delighted to contribute in whatever way we can to their incredible work."
Linda added: 'This grant will make a significant impact as we use the funding to take members of the community to beautiful places around Scotland like Loch Lomond, Luss Beach and the beautiful surrounding area to enjoy some cold-water swimming, a pastime that's not just a break from the norm and a fun day out, but can have great benefits for mental health and wellbeing.
'We're very thankful for all the support Asda has given us over the years, and particularly to Lynne, who is a lovely, selfless woman, a beautiful star and a wonderful champion for the work we do in our community.'
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