David Stewart MSP backs the Money for Life Challenge and calls on local organisations to get involved

29th October 2014

David Stewart, Regional (Scottish Labour) MSP for the Highlands and Islands is encouraging education and training organisations to back Lloyds Banking Group's Money for Life Challenge, a national competition for 16-24 year olds.

As financial education has recently become part of the national curriculum, the Challenge is a complementary way for young people to learn vital money management skills, whilst helping to promote financial education in their community.

The Challenge is supported by Lloyds Banking Group and Young Scot, it seeks to find the most successful and innovative ways that young people can use to improve their money management skills, as well as those of their friends, families and communities.

Teams of up to ten young people in further education, work-based learning, community learning or a training organisation can apply for a £500 grant to enter, with the support of an individual project sponsor from their organisation. Teams have until Friday 21 November 2014 to enter the competition.

National finals will take place in April 2015, followed by a UK Grand Final in London on 28 May 2015 to select the overall competition winner.

David Stewart MSP commented, "In addition to the financial education that young people will receive as part of our national curriculum, I'm keen to encourage education or community-learning organisations in my constituency to submit teams of young people to take part in the Money for Life Challenge.

"It's important that young people across the Highlands and Islands improve their financial skills and share their new knowledge with others in the community, and the Challenge is the perfect way to do this. Applications for this year’s competition are open until Friday 21 November 2014. I look forward to hearing about the innovative new projects that will be offered from young people across the region."

Young people interested in taking on the Challenge should keep an eye out for news of the 2014/2015 competition at moneyforlifechallenge.org.uk, visit the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/moneyforlifeuk, or follow on Twitter at: [AT]MoneyforLifeUK.

About Money for Life
Money for Life is Lloyds Banking Group’s award-winning personal money management programme, targeted at young people and adults in further education, training and community organisations. Lloyds Banking Group has invested £8 million in the programme from 2010 to 2014.

The Money for Life Qualifications provide accredited, fully-funded training to enable community support workers across the UK to embed personal money management skills at a local level. This train-the-trainer approach ensures a sustainable impact in local communities and organisations
The Money for Life Challenge is a national competition that provides £500 grants to empower teams of 16 to 24 year olds in further education, training and community organisations to run a money management project in their community.

The 2014 Money for Life Challenge will be delivered with our partners National Skills Academy for Financial Services, UK Youth, CollegesWales, Youth Cymru, Young Scot and NOW. Our partners are instrumental in the delivery and co-ordination of the Challenge.

Money for Life is also partnering with Home-Start to train employees to deliver money management workshops to vulnerable families during 2014.

Money for Life was awarded a Big Tick and was shortlisted in Business in the Community’s Building Stronger Communities Award 2014.

About Lloyds Banking Group's Helping Britain Prosper Plan
Lloyds Banking Group has a combined history that stretches back more than 300 years and a heritage of making a difference within its communities that spans decades. Earlier this year, the Group published its Helping Britain Prosper Plan, setting out seven separate and significant public commitments to do even more to help address some of the big issues facing its customers and Britain right now. One of those key commitments is to take a lead in financial inclusion, to enable all individuals to access, and benefit from, the products and services they need to make the most of their money. Money for Life is a key component within the Plan.

Lloyds Banking Group is the first bank to measure its economic and social impact in this way. The Plan will be independently measured and monitored. To find out more about Lloyds Banking Group’s commitment to Help Britain Prosper, please visit http://www.lloydsbankinggroup-cr.com/

About Lloyds Banking Group
With a heritage of making a difference within its communities that spans decades, last year Lloyds Banking Group invested £85m in UK Communities. Through its branches and businesses the Group has the potential to reach every family and community in the UK, and places immense value on its commitment to helping Britain prosper. Driven by its desire to give back to the communities in which it operates, the Group supports a wide range of ground breaking programmes. Lloyds Scholars, Money for Life, Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Community Fund, the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Business Connectors, Lloyds Bank Foundations and the Bank of Scotland Foundation are some, but not exhaustive, examples of the programmes it supports.