- Area:
- East Midlands
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 19 3 2013
Derby Women’s Centre is one of four community projects in the East Midlands sharing in over £1.1 million from the Big Lottery Fund to help people and communities most in need. Today’s Reaching Communities funding will also support the Abbey ward in Lincoln, plus two young people projects in Bassetlaw and Kettering and Wellingborough.
Close to half a million pounds will go to Derby Women’s Centre which currently supports 2,500 women each year and is expecting to increase support to 3,500 women per year with the introduction of vital new support services working with domestic violence victims and their perpetrators.
Feedback from women currently supported by their counselling service has clearly indicated that it would be beneficial for them to bring their partners to sessions. Derby Women’s Centre has also found that both male and female perpetrators have been requesting support which is hard to find locally. The Centre will work with the local Probation Service to identify and refer perpetrators to the project who will then be invited to attend joint or individual counselling sessions.
The Centre will also work closely with women from BME groups around the city, many of whom find it very hard to ask for help due to domestic violence being a taboo subject. This will be provided through discreet one to one sessions at venues used by community groups.
Sally Acquire, Derby Women’s Centre said: “Supporting women who have experienced domestic abuse is a key priority for Derby Women’s Centre and this will continue to be the case. Alongside this, we have identified a strong need for reaching out to both male and female perpetrators to tackle the causes as well as the effects. Funding from the Big Lottery Fund will enable Derby Women’s Centre to become a unique provider of this type of support in the local area and will be invaluable in protecting our future as an organisation over the next few years.”
People in Derby in need of support can find out more about the Centre’s support at www.derbywomenscentre.co.uk
Also receiving Lottery good cause funding today is Service Six which will work with young people in Kettering and Wellingborough. The project will use £309,934 to develop a new project, Youth Starz, for young people aged four to 18 years who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system, being excluded from school, are teenage parents, substance users and those who are not achieving their full potential.
Young people will be referred to the project through word of mouth, other activities run by Service Six and through partnerships with other young people support networks. Young people will be able to access life skills workshops including money management, cookery and positive parenting plus develop transferable skills enabling them to mentor their peers. The project will also develop weekly inter-generational community based football and dance academies to encourage local communities to come together.
Young people will also get essential support in Bassetlaw through Worksop and Retford Housing Project which receives £198,969 for a new project, New Roots Works Both Ways. The project will work with young people who have experienced challenging lifestyles to train them as volunteers to be peer mentors. Up to 114 volunteers will be recruited each year and will receive initial training which will cover their role as a volunteer, boundaries, plus health and safety from experienced staff and other agencies. Once trained they will provide support to other young people including accompanying them to appointments such as housing, doctors, hospitals or agencies which are often avoided due to their complex needs and distrust of statutory organisations.
Finally, Lincoln Community Development Worker Project will be putting the Abbey Ward on the map with £116,979 to establish a community hub including a steering group of local residents to help organise community events and social get togethers. Local residents will be offered the opportunity to engage in community works skills training plus one to one coaching and mentoring. A community resource bank will be built up to include local information, resources and equipment.
Mick McGrath, Big Lottery Fund spokesperson said: “All the projects receiving Lottery money today have worked hard to apply for vital funds which will make a big difference to people within their own communities. We wish them well as they start to put their plans into place.”
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
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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 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.
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