WIREDGOV

Training opportunities for people trapped in the poverty cycle, a support network for sufferers of a rare health condition and a transport service bringing the community closer for isolated people in Devon are among the projects benefitting from grants today, as the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) makes a landmark announcement.

Today’s funding of 33 groups, sharing £7,064,534, takes the total awarded through BIG’s Reaching Communities programme soaring over the £300 million mark. The scheme awards grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 to projects that build stronger communities, offer people better life chances and improve well-being.

Sanjay Dighe, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund’s England Committee, said: “This is a great day for BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, which has now seen over £300 million go right into the heart of England’s communities, to help some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people across the country.

“Those receiving grants this month include projects offering assistance to isolated older people, those who are homeless or with disabilities and scores of others all dedicated to making a genuine difference to people’s lives.”

Among those celebrating is Shelter, who will use a grant of £229,550 to launch a new project helping homeless people to escape the poverty trap.

The Herefordshire TREE project will deliver long-term training, recreation, education and employment services to homeless people across the county.

Polly Hearsey, Service Manager at Shelter Herefordshire, said: “The funding from BIG will provide invaluable support and guidance to people to help them achieve their full potential. By encouraging and supporting their active involvement in their communities, education, training and employment people will be able to build stability for their families and overcome the barriers that homelessness has built up. We are really excited that we will be able to help people achieve sustainable improvements to their quality of life, especially those who are most socially disadvantaged.”

Meanwhile, an England-wide scheme to provide a support network for people with a rare health condition receives a grant of £228,784. The Encephalitis Support Group will train volunteers to set up groups in their area, and offer assistance to sufferers and their families to enable them to better cope with life challenges.

Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, which can leave sufferers with permanent brain injury, seriously diminishing the standard of life they previously had. The support groups will aim to encourage those affected to share experiences and join in recreational activities, thereby reducing isolation. The volunteers will also work to improve awareness of the condition among service providers and local groups.

Development manager Ava Easton said: “We were delighted to hear this fantastic news from the Big Lottery Fund.The volunteer scheme will mean that many of our members will have the opportunity to develop their own knowledge and skills following the devastation that ensues after Encephalitis.They will then be able to work in their local communities with our many members, helping support, inform and in some cases transform the lives of those who have been overwhelmed and shattered by this condition.

“Encephalitis is a serious and complex condition and mortality is high.Being the only resource of our kind in the world means there is a constant and unrelenting pressure upon the society and our staff. When funders like the Big Lottery Fund step up to the mark and support us, it makes a really big difference.We can't wait to tell our members, we know they'll be so pleased.All those Lottery tickets they thought they hadn't won with! Buying thosetickets, however, means that nowour members have really won the Lotterybecause this vital scheme has received the crucial support it needed, thanks to the Big Lottery Fund!”

In Lancashire, another vital service providing free family counseling will expand thanks to an award of £100,930.

Freeflow Counselling Services offers a free, professional counselling service to men, women and adolescents in the Burnley area. The service offers flexible weekday, evening and weekend appointments and deals with serious family issues including domestic violence, substance mis-use, bullying and mental health issues.

The money will see the service expand in response to growing demand, with recruitment of more volunteer counsellors, as well as additional training and resources.

Also celebrating is Launceston Community Transport’s Little Red Bus project, which will put their £20,450 grant to good use by bringing the community closer to isolated people in the surrounding area.

The service offers affordable, reliable transport to those who live in rural areas without access to public or private transport. It enables them to travel to Launceston to shop, socialise and access healthcare and other services. People using the service are charged £2 single or £3 for any return journey and those who hold concession passes can travel for free.

Les Smith, Coordinator of Launceston Community Transport, said: “The day the Big Lottery Fund called to say that we had the funding was the best we could have hoped for. The grant will give the Little Red Bus life for the next three years and the people in and around Launceston access to this service, which is so needed in Cornwall.

For full details of all 33 groups receiving Reaching Communities grants today, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or call the press office.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• Under Reaching Communities, the Big Lottery Fund awards grants between £10,000 and £500,000 to projects that offer people better life chances, build stronger communities, develop improved rural and urban environments and improve health and well being.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £23 billion has now been raised and more than 317,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.