HUNDREDS of young people across Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire will benefit from tens of thousands of pounds being handed out by Lottery bosses to help them reach their full potential.

The cash, from the Big Lottery Fund’s Young Start programme, is awarded from dormant bank and buildings society account money.

A grant of £45,000 has been approved for Kustom Kruizers CIC, who will use the funding to establish a community bicycle-building project.

The aim is to teach young adults between the age of 13 and 21 how to strip, build and restore bicycles.

The one-year project, which also gives participants the opportunity to take charge of their own building project where they will build, advertise and then sell a bike, is expected to engage with 300 young people from Renfrew, Paisley and Inchinnan.

And, in East Renfrewshire, there is an award of almost £40,000 for the Articulate Cultural Trust to produce a quarterly digital magazine targeted at ‘care experienced young people’ (CEYP).

The ‘e-zine’ will be arts-based and feature the talents of young people from across the country.

Maureen McGinn, chair of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, said: “Young Start creates opportunities for young people to reach their full potential.

“Every one of the projects being awarded funding shares that aim, so I am delighted to announce this latest investment.”