Lottery BIGs up Essex and Herts communities

Area:

East of England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

20 2 2007

The awards will provide an advocacy service for young people in South Essex, furniture for disadvantaged people in Colchester, a counselling service in Harlow, advice on low vision in Hertfordshire and activities for young adults with autism studying in Kelvedon.

Community activities are set to expand for autistic young adults, aged 16 to 19 years old, attending Doucecroft School’s Further Education Department, in Kelvedon, after The Essex Autistic Society has been awarded £36,363.

Barbara Morrison, Manager of Doucecroft School’s Further Education Department, said: “This grant will enable us to purchase a seven-seater vehicle for use at our Further Education Department near Colchester for young adults with autism. The additional transport will allow us to take our growing number of students out on different activities and will also be a more appropriate vehicle for accessing community facilities such as colleges and youth clubs.

“We are extremely grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for giving us this grant and look forward to all the different excursions that we will be able to make in the new MPV."

Another group to benefit is Hertfordshire Society for the Blind that has been awarded £150,681 to raise awareness of available low vision support equipment and provide advice across the county.

Hertfordshire Society for the Blind, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Edwards, said: “Hertfordshire Society for the Blind serves a population of mainly elderly blind and partially sighted people who often also suffer from other disabilities or disadvantages.  

“The aim of our project is to increase awareness of, and access to, equipment and information that will aid their independence and reduce their social isolation.  We achieve this by reaching out to them through regular local Sight Information Points and through Equipment Exhibitions as well as visiting day centres, care homes, social clubs etc. The beauty of this scheme is that it meets people’s needs in their locality – a real community service.”

A £322,854 grant has been awarded to the Children’s Legal Centre to fund the Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Advocacy Project for Children and Young People. The three-year project will help vulnerable children and young people to access support and representation to allow them to express their views, resolve disputes, and break down perceived barriers to statutory services.

In Harlow, CALM (The Counselling and Life Management Centre) has been awarded £89,217 to continue its service for disadvantaged women, and extend the service to support men as well through one-to-one counselling, on a range of issues including depression, anxiety, bereavement, divorce, drugs, finances, relationships and work related stress.  

The Colchester Furniture Project also benefits from a £75,000 award to continue its service that provides free recycled household furniture and white goods to disadvantaged people and families.

Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the East of England, said: “These latest awards in Essex and Hertfordshire are amongst £1.5 million announced across the East of England today, to fund vital projects that reach out to some of the region’s most vulnerable groups. Whether it’s providing services to help people with low vision or helping young people with autism take part in activities, these kinds of projects are essential in helping those facing disadvantage lead a better quality of life.”

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

• Reaching Communities is part of the Big Lottery Fund’s portfolio of new programmes. Following an intense and comprehensive process of consultation with stakeholders and the general public over the last year, the Fund has undertaken to distribute 60-70% of its funding to the third sector.  At least one-third of BIG funding will be demand-led and lightly prescribed.  In England, this will amount to at least £600 million over the period 2005-2009. This commitment will be met from a variety of funding streams, including, Reaching Communities, Awards for All, part of the Young People’s Fund, Community Buildings, Advice Services and the People’s Millions.
• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
• On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.

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