- Area:
- East of England
- Programme:
- Awards for All England
- Release date:
- 27 3 2012
Play activities for children and young people with special needs are among five community projects in Essex being backed by National Lottery good causes funding today.
The projects will share a total of £37,907 from the Big Lottery Fund’s popular small grants scheme, Awards for All.
Among those receiving awards is the Basildon-based Special Needs Activities for Kids in Essex which will use its award of £7,950 to buy equipment so they can offer support and play activities to families with special needs children and young people.
Nicky Watson, who helps organise the sessions, said: “We run a fortnightly play session for special needs children and young people in our indoor soft play area. It’s a new activity that we’ve been running since February this year and we’ve been working hard to get funds so that we can extend the length of the sessions – which we’ve now been able to do thanks to this Awards for All grant. The project is open to anyone who has additional needs, not just children. We have qualified staff who are able to help them use the ball pool, slides and trampoline while parents and carers can have a break with a cup of tea or coffee and get support and advice.”
Anyone wanting to attend the sessions can contact Nicky on 01268 491 511 / 07580 668 457.
Meanwhile, the Tabor Centre in Braintree has received £10,000 to purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle for the benefit of people with severe physical disabilities. This will enable the group to transport service users to their day centre and to necessary appointments such as GP and hospital appointments.
Also in Braintree, a grant of £1,484 goes to Witham Allotment & Leisure Gardeners Association to install a compost toilet unit with disabled access at their allotment site. The group will then be able to put on open days and events for the wider community.
Elsewhere in the county, a primary school in Colchester will create a sensory room for pupils with special educational needs thanks to a grant of £10,000. Kelvedon St Mary's Church of England Primary School hope that the therapeutic facility will be key in providing stimulation and stress relief for pupils, and for the wider community who wish to use it.
Finally, Rainbow Services (Harlow) will use £8,473 to provide work placed training in its community cafe to young people in alternative education. This will encourage young people to learn new skills that will enable them to volunteer within the local community and gain paid employment.
Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the East of England region, said: “Today’s grants are fantastic news for communities in Essex and a great boost for those who are working hard to support people who need it the most.”
BIG’s Awards for All programme offers grants of between £300 and £10,000 to social and environmental projects that will benefit local communities and make a difference to the lives of those most in need. Voluntary and community groups, schools, health organisations and parish and town councils can all apply.
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
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