SIX projects which provide practical help for parents are to benefit from more than £1.6 million handed out by the Big Lottery Fund.

The initiatives, which help families of children with special needs in Glasgow, low-income households in Inverurie and isolated parents on the Isle of Mull, will all receive a share.

Shelter, Cornerstone, Home-Start Garioch and Home-Start Lorn are among the organisations which will use the money to provide practical and emotional support.

Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund, Scotland chair, said: "Many families will at some point need that bit of extra support to help them through difficult periods. Feelings of isolation, the effects of low income or the risk of homelessness are just some of the issues these projects will help to tackle."