Glenrothes mum raises funds and awareness for The Yard

Kirsty Grant and her husband Nick are the parents of Jaime-Leigh (13), Justin (9) and five-year-old George, who is currently awaiting diagnosis for Autism and ADHD, and is largely non-verbal.

Kirsty said: “We’ve been going to The Yard in Kirkcaldy since 2020 after being recommended by the manager of George’s nursery.

“We’d been struggling for some time, and delays in George’s diagnosis have made the situation much worse.

“George is unpredictable and can have volatile outbursts, made worse by his struggles with speech. Unfortunately, the hardest part is dealing with other people – outsiders just don’t understand.

“We’ve had so much abuse and threats thrown at us over the years because George gets blamed and accused of things he just can’t help.

“So we also want to raise awareness around children with additional support needs being understood and classed as ‘bad kids’ by wider society.

“We need more compassion and understanding and we can only do that by reaching out.”

As well as raising money for The Yard, Kirsty also wanted to raise awareness of the service.

She added: “George loves The Yard. He gets to be himself without being judged constantly.

“We can’t go to parks like other families unless it’s at night when no one else is there, so The Yard has become our safe place.

“The staff and other families know what we’re going through, so it’s made a massive difference to us. We wanted to raise money to allow them to support more families who feel alone, and to continue to be there as these children grow up.”

After a perfect sunny day for the event, Kirsty's team of walkers raised £1,200 to support The Yard's services.

Jenny MacDonald, deputy chief executive at The Yard, said: “As a charity, we rely on donations and goodwill from our local community.

“Kirsty’s efforts, and those of everyone supporting her, will make a huge difference to our families at The Yard by supporting vital services at a time when children and young people, and their families, need us more than ever.

“It’s particularly heartwarming when families who attend The Yard select us as their charity of choice, and drive their passion and love of The Yard back into the service.

“We’re extremely grateful to Kirsty for every penny and pound raised during her event.”

Kirsty has also created a TikTok account @grantfamily_georgesvoice for any parents who would benefit from support and advice.