- Area:
- East Midlands
- Programme:
- Community Assets
- Release date:
- 23 3 2009
Community groups throughout Charnwood are set to benefit from close to three quarters of a million pounds thanks to a Government grant from its Community Assets programme. The £773,500 will ensure that the Gorse Covert Community Centre, Loughborough meets the changing needs of the local community.
The grant will enable Charnwood Borough Council to transfer the Centre to Gorse Covert Community Association on a 40-year lease once the building has been refurbished.
The refurbishment of the Centre is just one of dozens of projects across the country to receive a Community Assets Government grant, funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and delivered by Big Fund, the non-Lottery funding operation of the Big Lottery Fund.
The current building is in a deteriorating condition and has a poor layout. The refurbishment will include relocating the main entrance, offering improved accessibility; making use of its peaked roof by converting it into additional meeting and storage space and installing a lift for disability access.
The Gorse Covert Community Association has been consulting with its existing users which highlighted that the groups using the Centre. It presently supports the work of a wide range of community groups including activities for parents and pre-school children, youth work and adult education. A range of new activities is planned including cookery for local BME groups, increased adult education and health related activities such as smoking cessation.
Cllr John Bush, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said: “This is all in line with the Council’s objective of using the land and buildings it owns for community benefit. We are very pleased to have secured this funding under competitive bidding. Gorse Covert is the largest award in the East Midlands and one of the largest nationally. The project has been successful because it demonstrates strong partnership working between local authorities, the community and third sector organisations.”
Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for the Third Sector, said, “The Government is investing £30 million across the country into excellent community projects such as Centre to Gorse Covert Community Association. Facilities such as these are much needed by voluntary and community groups, particularly during these challenging economic times when people are increasing calling on community support.”
Mick McGrath, BIG’s Head of Region for the East Midlands said, “It is great to see the Gorse Covert Community Association working closely with Charnwood Borough Council to bring together the opportunity to create a newly refurbished centre that will bring so much extra to the local community for many years to come.”
Further Information
Big 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
- Community Assets is a non-Lottery programme funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
- The Big Fund is the non-Lottery funding operation of the Big Lottery Fund.
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) distributes lottery funding to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. It also uses its expertise in grant-giving to distribute non-Lottery funding. BIG has been appointed to distributed around £30 million of Government funding through Community Assets
- The aim of Community Assets is community empowerment. It will do this by facilitating the transfer of genuine assets from local authorities to the third sector for the benefit of the community. Community Assets will bring about the following outcomes:
- Local third sector organisations have greater security and independence, and are better able to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
- Communities have more access to better facilities that respond to their needs.
- There is more effective partnership working between local authorities and the third sector.
- The range of activities to be offered by the recipients of Community Assets in principle grants includes:
- Holiday play facilities and activities for parents and pre-school children
- Facilities for young people providing alternative education services, evening coffee bar, leisure facilities, professional advice and guidance, anti-gun and knife crime events
- GP referrals, healthy eating service, facilities offering keep fit classes, group wellbeing activities, a wheelchair service, therapy and rehabilitation services
- Adult education, training courses, addiction assistance, ICT facilities and employment opportunities in deprived areas
- Lunch clubs and tea dances for the elderly
- Theatre events, rehearsal space, music facilities, venues for music events, creative arts groups and experimental art exhibitions
- Meeting rooms, office services and facilities for smaller local groups including BME communities
- Workshops, training rooms and support to local business start-ups
- New tourism and leisure destinations
- The Office of the Third Sector was formed (OTS) in May 2006 in recognition of the increasingly important role the third sector plays in both society and the economy. It aims to drive forward the Government's role in supporting a thriving third sector, and join up sector-related work across government: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.
- From 30 March to 23 June 2007 the Office of the Third Sector ran a public consultation on how Community Assets will work. A wide range of local authorities and third sector organisations responded to the consultation. The Office of the Third Sector summarised the responses and explained how they will influence the final programme on 10 August 2007.
- The Community Assets fund was first proposed last year in the Pre-Budget Report (6 December 2006).
- http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/makingassetswork
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