Fife-wide Alcohol and drug support services secure £25,000 Lottery funding

Fife Alcohol Support Service (FASS) and ADAPT Substance Recovery secured the support of the National Lottery Community Fund.

The services received funding at the end of last year and have already found that it has made a difference.

Dave Dempster, ADAPT service manager, said: “We were fortunate to receive £25,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund which has been extremely supportive. It has fantastic and I can’t thank it enough.

“We converted the money into money for vouchers. We have agreements with certain shops where we get £50 vouchers for food, clothing and small household items. We’ve also set up a travel scheme with Stagecoach Fife.”

The funds have benefited both service users and FASS and ADAPTs workers who witness service users' anxiety around food and fuel bills.

Dave said: “It all adds to the stress level on our workers. They’re seeing these people going through hardship, the stress levels, the anxiety levels and their mental health being impacted.

“So when workers are going to doors, they’re coming back fairly negative and wondering how they can help people. They want to know how they can go the extra mile for these people.

“What we started to see since getting the funding, was workers coming back with good stories and with a sense of achievement and having been able to help people.”

The funding comes at a crucial time for the services, which are experiencing increased demand. Last year, FASS and ADAPT saw 8000 people.

Dave said that the cost of living crisis means the services are seeing “people who were doing particularly well, relapsing”.

Dave added: “People who might have been recreational drinkers and then that increases without meaning to. You might go from a bottle of wine to a bottle and a half to two. We’re also seeing a massive increase in cocaine and crack cocaine use and that impacts the whole family”.

FASS is at 17 Tolbooth Street, Kirkcaldy, Monday to Thursday 9.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.15pm, Friday 9.30am-12.30pm