Sistema Scotland are delighted to receive a significant grant from the Bank of Scotland Foundation. The grant, for just over £184,000 across two years, will support our Big Noise centre in Govanhill, Glasgow.

Nicky Pritchett-Brown, Fundraising Manager at Sistema Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to have received this significant grant from the Bank of Scotland Foundation and are enormously grateful for the difference this important investment will make to the children with whom we work. We particularly welcome that this funding is over two years, as our work is long-term. It is wonderful to be able to build on six years of achievement at Big Noise Govanhill with the support of the Bank of Scotland Foundation.”

The positive impact of Big Noise Govanhill has been recognised through independent evaluation by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH). The latest from GCPH – People change lives: Consolidating five years of evaluation learning for Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise Centres in Stirling, Glasgow and Aberdeen – states that,

“School teachers in Govanhill believe that the children who participate in the Big Noise after-school programme gain valuable skills concerning language development; they hear sounds and words which then transfer to phonological awareness, which aids them in blending the sounds and structuring sentences.”

In addition,

“86% of teachers described observing increased confidence in children who attend Big Noise after-school, including children being more confident speaking out loud in class, interacting with others and talking in front of groups.”

Philip Grant, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Chair of the Scottish Executive Committee, Lloyds Banking Group said, “The response to our new programmes has been fantastic and our emphasis on social exclusion and disadvantage means that our programmes can continue to help to improve the lives of many vulnerable people across Scotland addressing areas such as homelessness, debt management, reducing isolation and supporting job creation.”

Big Noise Govanhill is our largest centre and currently works with over 1,200 children every week in Scotland’s most diverse community, including infants from Govanhill Nursery and Cuthbertson Nursery as well as weekly Baby Noise sessions. The Big Noise programme is particularly focused on early years’ intervention and long-term delivery; each new Big Noise centre begins by working with children at nursery (weekly) and in Primary 1 and 2 (twice weekly), gradually building on core skills such as listening, concentration, rhythm and teamwork whilst learning to play an instrument in a group. As children reach Primary 3 and beyond, Big Noise evolves into an intensive and immersive programme of after-school and holiday club music teaching, performance and social interaction whereby a Big Noise child receives up to four after-school sessions of intervention and support a week during term time; and up to four days each week during spring, summer and autumn holidays until they leave secondary school.