- Area:
- East of England
- Programme:
- Village SOS
- Release date:
- 23 8 2012
Three weeks left for communities in the East of England to apply to Village SOS Lottery funding scheme for projects to buck rural decline
The village of Earith in Cambridgeshire has today been offered a Lottery grant of £24,803 to run a social enterprise from their community hall, known as Rector’s Hall, and help breathe new life into the local area.
The money comes from Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS scheme, which is supporting rural communities across the UK to come together to improve facilities, services and opportunities for local people.
Big Lottery Fund is urging other rural communities with populations of less than 3,000 across the East of England region to the make the most of the funding scheme before it closes on 12 September. Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are available for enterprising projects ranging from community-run shops and pubs to energy or transport schemes, and craft or food projects. For more information visit: www.villagesos.org.uk
Celebrating funding through the scheme today is J C Eddy Rectors Hall which will use its grant to run a community cafe, a monthly market place selling local goods, and bi-monthly workshops and exhibitions – all from their community hall.
The project consulted with locals to come up with the ideas, with the community cafe being the most popular. People also wanted somewhere to showcase their small businesses, which many have started in their own homes due to the current economic climate, and also have somewhere to take part in workshops such as photography and willow weaving.
Hazel Lambert, Chairman of the project, said: “We have an old school building which was bought and turned over to community use. It has been used for some time now but has fallen into disrepair. So in order to continue and expand and get more community projects using the venue, we needed to do some refurbishment. We do have a village hall but it is a big space, whereas we want something more intimate where people can meet casually.
“We’re like a lot of communities really, we slightly lost our way, we lost our heart. We just want to put the heart back into our community and have a place where young and old can come together to meet and share experiences. So getting this grant, I cannot tell you what joy it will bring. People will be so excited!”
Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the East of England region, said: “The Village SOS scheme is a unique opportunity for social enterprises and today’s award in the village of Earith show what can be achieved when people come together and unlock the potential which exists in their communities. With only three weeks left to apply, I would urge people to explore this chance to revive their local area and help buck the trend of rural decline.”
To find out more about how to apply call 0845 434 9123.
***** Photo and interview opportunity ***** The project is having a celebratory cream tea on Sunday 26th August between 2pm and 5pm. Rector’s Hall, Colne Road, Earith. Contact Hazel Lambert on 07939 125 890. |
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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