- Area:
- England
- Programme:
- Well-being
- Release date:
- 18 3 2013
Big Lottery Fund - the largest distributor of good cause funding from the National Lottery - has announced a £40m health injection for England.
The new funding will be channeled into BIG’s existing Well-being portfolio which includes initiatives that increase physical activity, improve eating habits and tackle mental health across the country, including targeting areas, groups and people experiencing the starkest health inequalities.
The investment today comes at a crucial time; a 20-year study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reveals that the UK compares poorly with other European countries in terms of sickness and healthy life expectancy, and urges “additional concerted action”, including improved early intervention and treatment activities for major diseases and cancers.
Additional research published today by The National Lottery Good Causes reveals that the biggest obstacles to looking after health and well-being is lack of time and cost –
45% of people in the UK saying they don’t have the time in their busy schedule to look after their health and well-being while 38% say lack of money is a barrier.
The funding will build on the Well-being projects funded through BIG over the last five years include working with children and their families to improve healthy eating during and after school and reduce obesity; programmes for over 50s including those with serious illness to improve fitness and well-being; and encouraging people in disadvantaged areas to adopt healthier lifestyles and improve their knowledge through community-based health projects.
Big Lottery Fund England Chair Nat Sloane, said: “Improving well-being and tackling health inequalities is a priority for us all; the evidence, including the recent IHME report, points to a growing problem. The more difficult question is how we can curb this trend and encourage a downward trajectory.
“We have found that the greatest impact can be achieved by adopting a holistic approach – ensuring interventions cover a number of well-being aspects, including mental health, physical activity and healthy eating.
“Our £40 million comes at a crucial time as recent research highlights cost is a barrier for many people when it comes to looking after their health and well-being. It will build on a range of free initiatives that we have funded in the last five years which target people in deprived communities and have been proven to work well. It will directly help hundreds of thousands to lead a healthier lifestyle and become more active.”
In the last five years alone, The National Lottery has given over £1 billion to projects that support people’s health and wellbeing.
Celebrity psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, most well known for her insightful commentary on numerous British television programs such as Big Brother and This Morning, said: “Looking after our health and wellbeing doesn’t need to take time or be costly. It could just be going for a walk in a local park, or going on a day out with family and friends, taking up exercise or an art class. The National Lottery has funded thousands of projects, venues and charities that support people's health and wellbeing - many of them are free or low cost. With an average of 20 Lottery-funded projects for each postcode, there are accessible opportunities for everyone out there.”
Further Information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BigLotteryFund #BIGlf
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund
Notes to Editors
Some evaluation findings from the last five years of BIG funded Well-being interventions
• 28% increase in the number of primary school children reporting eating five portions of fruit or vegetables a day**
• The Travel Actively Consortium - of which leading, walking, cycling and health charities are a part of - has engaged 2 million people into being more physically active in just 4 years***
• Over 74% (76,000) of people taking part in a Stockport community healthy living scheme experiencing a measurable impact on their physical or mental health****
• 90% of participants taking part in a target:wellbeing project across the Northwest reported developing skills that would allow them to have more control over their life*****
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of 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 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
• 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 £29 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• *Statistics taken from the Food For Life Partnership evaluation: www.foodforlife.org.uk/Whygetinvolved/Ourimpact.aspx
• ** Stockport (North West Healthy Living Network) NWHLN
• * * * The Travel Actively Consortium:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/policy/TravelActively_Review2012.pdf
• ***** target:wellbeing evaluation report: http://www.targetwellbeing.org.uk/resources/target_wellbeing_portfolio_report
• *** *Various examples in BIG’s well-being evaluation: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/research/health-and-well-being/evaluating-well-being
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