Before Lewis started going to Street League, he felt anxious and had trouble leaving the house. Now, the charity — which uses sport to help young people develop the skills they need to move into work, training, or education — has supported Lewis to become a personal trainer at a gym and go from college onto a sports and exercise science course at university.
“It’s a dream job for me — I love doing it, and I couldn’t have imagined doing it five years ago,” Lewis told the audience at an event in Edinburgh on Tuesday night. “Street League gave me a lot of help to think about my future and boosted my confidence and self-esteem.”
Lewis was one of three young people who shared their stories during a night that celebrated the impact that Scotch whisky distilleries are helping charities to deliver. Street League is one of six charities — alongside Aberdeen Foyer, Action for Children, Enable Works, Family Action in Rogerfield & Easterhouse (Fare), and the Talk About Trust — that receive cash from the Youth Action Fund, which was set up in 2022 by the Distillers’ Charity, the philanthropic arm of the Worshipful Company of Distillers, one of London’s historic livery companies, which traces its roots back to 1638.
The Youth Action Fund uses the proceeds from the two Distillers One of One auctions, which were held at Hopetoun House near Edinburgh in 2021 and 2023, and which together raised £4.3 million by selling unique lots from Scotland’s whisky distilleries. The next auction is due to take place on 10 October 2025.
Tuesday night’s event included the launch of the Youth Action Fund’s latest report, which revealed how the fund’s charities last year helped 890 young people into work, training, or education, taking the tally since 2022 to 1,974. In total, 2,820 young people have benefited from the fund. Some 60 per cent of the young people helped by the charities live in 30 per cent of the most deprived parts of Scotland.
In 2024, the young people who took part in the programmes reached 4,403 “progression milestones”, the key steps to helping them find jobs or training. They included 1,169 who gained a recognised qualification, 879 who boosted their numeracy and literacy, 513 who received mentoring, and 486 who completed work experience.
A further 5,519 “soft outcomes” were recorded too — yet those skills are far from “soft”. They included 930 young people who improved their motivation, 926 who strengthened their self-belief, and 921 who developed higher aspirations — all key foundations for finding training and work.
“The layering of those skills and experiences ensures that their success is sustainable — if one job doesn’t work out for whatever reason then they have the tools to find another job,” explained Louise Stevenson, the fund’s manager. The Youth Action Fund is run by Inspiring Scotland, an organisation that not only distributes cash but also helps charities to develop their internal processes, so their work becomes more effective.
“The Scotch whisky industry’s willingness to use its most-valuable assets in this collective philanthropic endeavour is truly humbling and unparalleled in our experience,” added Stevenson. “The industry is having a transformational impact on the lives of Scottish young people who are struggling and at risk of not achieving their potential.”
Speaking on behalf of the auction’s donors, Daryl Haldane — global private client director at Suntory, which owns distilleries including Bowmore, Glen Garioch, and Laphroaig — shared a story about how half a dozen workers from his company’s bottling hall at Springburn gave up their own time to take down the displays and staging after the auction.
“They committed their own time to come and contribute what they could contribute to the auction,” he said. “It’s not all about beautiful tastings and dinners and high-value products — it’s also about a collective endeavour from everybody.”
Michael McLaren, sales and marketing director at McLaren Packaging, which produces display cases for a host of distillers, explained how the auction also benefits its sponsors. “Business success should not be measured solely by how much you make, but how you make it,” he said.
“As a family business, with roots in Inverclyde – which is one of the most deprived areas not just in Scotland but in Europe – supporting Distillers One of One gives us a strong platform to do more locally. The programme inspired us to formalise our approach, resulting in the incorporation of our own charity, the Newark Trust, in 2023, funded by a percentage of our profits.”
