- Area:
- East of England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 19 3 2013
Support for carers in Brentwood and vulnerable young people in Hertfordshire are amongst some hard-pressed communities in the region sharing in over £1.2 million announced today by the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).
Receiving £238,779 from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme are Brentwood and District Crossroads Care Attendant Scheme to enable the expansion of its specialist support for people with living with dementia and their carers. Support will reach out to people living in Brentwood and Basildon.
Crossroads will now extend their day care provision to hold specific sessions for young and older people with dementia, their carers and their families. The scheme has found that younger people experiencing early onset dementia need more specialist support as there is often a lack of understanding about the early signs and progression of illness in younger people.
Weekly activity clubs will be provided for older people with advanced dementia, young people with early onset dementia and those recently diagnosed and a new club in Basildon. Families will be supported to access personal budget funding so that they themselves do not incur costs.
Valerie Long, Scheme Manager at Brentwood Crossroads said: “This funding is essential as we will now be able to support around 170 people living with dementia and their carers over the next three years. We hope to ensure that carers are not left isolated but able to receive respite and have vital time for themselves.”
A carer supported by Brentwood Crossroads said: “I will be able to sleep knowing my husband is being cared for.”
Central Hertfordshire YMCA at Space Stevenage will be able to continue working with vulnerable people of all ages following its £300,000 grant. Around 600 individuals of all ages will be able to develop new skills to help raise their aspirations and improve their employability, lifestyle and well-being whilst also reducing their isolation from their peer groups and local community.
Space Stevenage will provide a safe, welcoming environment for people to meet and socialise, particularly people aged 11-24. Beneficiaries will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities to aid their personal development, including money management, mental health, IT skills and housing support. Individuals will be encourage to then volunteer to help others in need.
Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality aims to tackle discrimination by raising awareness of people’s rights and how they can assert them. It receives £294,839 to run workshops for those who have experienced discrimination and for local employers and service providers to help them understand corporate social responsibility and to eliminate discrimination. Staff and volunteer law students will provide specialist casework services giving advice to clients through telephone, email and face to face outreach clinics in North East and North West Suffolk.
Also receiving funding is Suffolk Befriending Scheme for People with Learning Disabilities which will use £155,146 to provide a one stop community advice and support facilities for vulnerable adults at seven centres across the county. Assisted by a large and varied volunteer bank, the centres will offer various services including information, advocacy, counselling, signposting and social activities to people with learning disabilities.
And Bedfordshire African Community Centre receives £255,612 to empower and support the African community in Luton and surrounding area to help improve their mental health, confidence and well-being through access to services, information, advice and guidance. Individuals will also receive skills based training and one to one support to help them into employment.
Jonathan Clarke, Big Lottery Fund regional 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
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 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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