£290k to remove HIV & aids stigma across East of England

Area:

East of England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

16 10 2012

A project that supports children, young people and families affected by HIV and AIDS across the East of England, has received over £290,000 of Big Lottery Fund (BIG) investment in its life changing work.

The Centre for All Families Positive Health (CAFPH) based in Luton, is one of 10 projects across the region sharing £2.3 million from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, which aims to help those most in need and build stronger communities.

Young people with HIV status, or HIV in the family, often fear being discriminated against and can have a lack of understanding about their illness. They also face mental health issues such as depression or may have the added pressure of caring for a parent or younger siblings. This project will create a safe environment for young people to address HIV stigma, receive mental health support, discuss medication or treatment, access accurate health information and take part in activities that will increase self-esteem.

A young people's support group will also be established to raise awareness of safer sex, HIV testing and treatment, and lifestyle choices. The group will also run a young carer's support group where they can access specific advice and respite opportunities. An annual residential weekend will bring young people and young carers together to reduce their isolation, raise their confidence and build peer networks. Beneficiaries will also be trained as peer educators to support workshops and increase awareness of healthy living. It is estimated that 350 children and young people will be supported by the project.

Juliet Reid, Director, CAFPH, said: “With this grant we can work with young people to address issues of isolation, stigma, and family support and create a safe environment where young people can feel safe to discuss issues around HIV and their fears. Our aim is to improve the confidence, self-esteem and self-worth for young people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, tackling issues of stigma so that these young people live a normal and enjoyable life.”

Also receiving funding today is Essex County Council’s Brighter Future project. It is to use its £279,000 award to support vulnerable young people over the age of seven to improve their emotional wellbeing and future prospects. It is estimated that approximately 1,950 young people will be supported by the project, many of whom may be at risk of experiencing mental health issues or social care involvement. The project will also target children with disabilities, looked after children or those at risk of becoming looked after children.

The project runs a variety of weekly, age-appropriate sessions and activities for young people to develop their social and communication skills and build confidence. Staff will provide positive praise and practical and emotional support and explore issues relevant to teenagers and young people such as relationships, substance misuse, shopping on a budget and finding training opportunities. The group will also organise residential activities for the older young people to encourage them to stay active, improve their team work skills and increase their aspirations.

St Nicholas’ Hospice in Bury-St-Edmonds receives £431,212 to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of terminally ill patients and their families, through increasing the access to 24-hour home-based care. A First Contact Team will seek out and manage patient referrals, nursing assistants will be trained to provide a wider range of care, an online support system will be created and additional volunteers will be trained as befrienders to provide practical assistance to patients at home. The project will benefit approximately 675 people across West Suffolk and South Norfolk.

While Age Concern Peterborough will be using their £67,036 funding to deliver fitness sessions to local older people with the aim of reducing the number of falls, and subsequent hospitalisations, they suffer. Instructors will lead groups in Pilates, yoga, armchair aerobics, bowling and aqua-aerobics, which will help older people to improve their health and give them a chance to socialise and build friendships. Classes will be run for 48 weeks of the year in up to six community locations, so they are easily accessible.

Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the East of England, said: “This month we are proud to be investing over £2.3 million from the Reaching Communities programme into good causes across the East of England that will help children, young people and families. This will enable groups to deliver a wide range of benefits to some of the region’s most in need.”

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

Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BigLotteryFund #BIGlf

Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund

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 £28 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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