- Area:
- East Midlands
- Programme:
- Awards for All England
- Release date:
- 9 4 2013
Young people living in the East Midlands are set to box their way out of trouble thanks to Big Lottery funding totalling £672,647, which is being distributed to community projects across the region today.
The 79 awards come from BIG’s most popular grants scheme, Awards for All, which gives small grants of up to £10,000 to projects that can make a big difference to people’s lives.
Community Combat in Oadby, Leicestershire currently works alongside the local police, schools and social services to combat antisocial behaviour in the area. Today the project receives £10,000 to set up a training base for young people aged between 7 and 19.
Chief Instructor at Community Combat, Barinder "KILLA B" Singh says: “First and foremost we would like to thank the Big Lottery Fund for supporting our project as this grant enables us to accomplish what we have long set out to do. Boxing and kickboxing helps young people to gain self confidence, discipline and respect for themselves and as a result, others in the community. We have seen our activity sessions turn people’s lives around for the better as it often means they are able to channel their anger in a more positive way.
“Our motto is train hard, fight easy and we encourage participants to apply this to all aspects of their life; you have to work hard to get what you want out of life and this is a really good place for these kids to start doing that. Young people are the future and they deserve the best possible opportunities and guidance available.”
The Aldecar & Langley Amateur Boxing Club in Amber Valley, Derbyshire also receive a £9,676 Lottery grant to deliver a series of non contact boxing activities with the aim of helping youngsters to get off the streets.
Founder member of the boxing club, Peter Morgan says: “The population in our town has increased but sadly many of the industries have closed down or moved away leaving us in a depressed area and therefore a deprived community. There is a high rate of unemployment in the area so family finances are tight and there are few facilities for children and young people to use in their spare time.
“This grant means that we’re able to offer amateur boxing sessions free of charge to young people who are out on the streets with nothing constructive to do with their time. Parents have already told us what a difference the club has made to their children so we’re delighted we can continue to help more young people.”
Amongst today’s announcement are a number of grants awarded to organisations which support people with disabilities and their carers. The Learning Disability Carers Group in Melbourne, Derby receives £10,000 to provide learning disability carers with training and to establish a carer’s network which they can turn to for advice and support. All Saints Church in Broxtowe, Nottingham receives £10,000 to install wheelchair friendly facilities to enable people with disabilities to have easy access to a range of community services within the hall. While Alternatives Activity Centre in Derby receive £7,820 to create films around issues faced by people living with learning disabilities to raise awareness among the community.
Older people living in the region who are experiencing social isolation gain access to increased support thanks to a funding boost for a number of projects helping elderly members of the community. Arts 50 Alive Network in Birmingham will use a £9,990 grant to deliver intergenerational residential trips and activities for older people which will help them to build relationships with each other. Kaine Management Ltd in Leicester receives £9,948 to run craft workshops and IT sessions for older people who are living alone. Movement for All in Nottingham will use a £6,558 grant to run weekly dance sessions for older members of the community.
And people living in Leicester who are currently unemployed have the opportunity to network and increase their skills as The Zinthiya Ganeshpanchan Trust receive £10,000 to provide employment training and work experience placements and Health Link Services receive £9,992 to provide CV writing and digital workshops for young people.
Mick McGrath, Big Lottery Fund spokesperson said: “All the projects receiving Lottery money today will make a big difference to people within their own communities. It’s really positive to see the boxing projects take off as young people can really engage with the sport and it makes a real difference by boosting people’s confidence and overall prospects.
“Anyone who has an idea for a community project should visit www.awardsforall.org.uk to see if a Big Lottery Fund grant could help to get their own idea off the ground.”
See a full list of awards announced in the East Midlands today
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
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Notes to Editors
• 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 its inception in 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
• 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.
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