Charity restaurant venture tastes success after grant win

A RESTAURANT serving traditional Punjabi food is set to open in Leith having won £69,700 in grant funding from a Scottish Government fund aimed at backing social enterprise.

Sikh Sanjog, a Leith-based charity that helps Sikh women, was one of 19 groups in Scotland to receive grants from the 12 million Third Sector Enterprise Fund (TSEF).

Scheduled to open in October, the restaurant will provide local Sikh women with skills training and both volunteer and paid jobs.

Pilotlight Scotland, a charity which matches teams of business professionals with small, community-based charities and social enterprises, helped Sikh Sanjog win the funding.

Mary Hastie, Sikh Sanjog's manager, said the professional support of the three "Pilotlighters" – Jim Halley from Bank of Scotland, Bill McDonald from Accenture and Anne Fazakerley from Octagon Europe – was "invaluable".

Chris Horne, the chief executive of Pilotlight Scotland, said: "We are delighted to have been able to help Sikh Sanjog obtain this vital funding.

"The three Pilotlighters have all worked very hard, and it was a pleasure for them to work with such a worthwhile cause."

Last month the 12m TSEF awarded seven grants worth more than 500,000. Other beneficiaries included Spruce Carpets, a Glasgow-based carpet recycling business, and Streetwork, an Edinburgh-based support service for homeless young people.

Enterprise minister Jim Mather said 19 organisations have received support from the fund since it was launched in December.

TSEF offers grants of between 25,000 and 100,000 to existing businesses and charities.