- Area:
- East Midlands
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 14 4 2009
A vital lifeline for people subjected to domestic abuse in South Derbyshire is set to continue for another four years through a grant of £444,437 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme.
Next Step (Against Domestic Abuse) will use the grant to continue and expand its existing project from its Swadlincote base. The project offers support to reduce trauma and improve the long-term quality of life of people affected by domestic abuse and their children across South Derbyshire and surrounding areas.
Services include a confidential helpline offering advice and support, referral services to refuge networks, one-to-one counselling, self-help groups, and advocacy support with welfare and benefit agencies, social services, housing, solicitors and criminal justice proceedings.
The Lottery grant will also enable Next Step to establish a drop-in service and home support outreach in the North of the District in areas such as Repton, Willington, Etwall, Hilton, Hatton and Melbourne, where access to services has previously been limited because of poor public transport links.
Julie Johnson, Manager, Next Step (Against Domestic Abuse), said: “The Big Lottery Fund grant is fantastic news and we are thrilled to be able to expand our services to help more people across South Derbyshire. We are keen to build on our dedicated team of volunteers and if anyone is interested in joining us as a volunteer we would love to hear from them.”
Mick McGrath, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the East Midlands, added: “This project is a vital resource providing the advice and support needed to help people affected by domestic abuse to break the cycle and get their lives back on track. This four-year award will make a massive difference to the lives of those using the service and for their children.”
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 £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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