- Area:
- England
- Programme:
- Millennium Now
- Release date:
- 18 3 2013
The London Youth charity has landed £1.7 million from the Big Lottery Fund after their project to restore derelict properties by bringing together young people and retired tradesmen featured in a groundbreaking new Channel 4 series.
London Youth will now use the funding to expand their skills sharing project across the London Borough of Lambeth.
The project, supported by Restoration Man, George Clarke, was the first to feature in the brand new TV series, The Secret Millions, where the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) joins forces with Channel 4 to highlight radical ideas tackling some of Britain’s social issues.
The projects are secretly assessed by the Big Lottery Fund and if successful they can turn their ideas into reality with a share of The Secret Millions’ £10 million funding pot, the largest amount ever handed out on a Channel 4 series.
The Secret Millions follows five Channel 4 faces as they work with charities on the frontline to develop new projects, meanwhile secretly trying to help secure up to £2 million of money from the Big Lottery Fund.
London Youth were followed by Channel 4, with pilot participants believing they were being filmed as part of a documentary to show first-hand the issues facing grassroots workers and the beneficiaries in need of help, whilst being supported by George Clarke who helped set up a trial-run of an innovative project conceived by the charity and its partners. In reality, it was all part of a secret bid to win millions of pounds of Lottery funding. Cameras followed the hard work, the emotional strains and the exhilarating moments as the charity, beneficiaries and George Clarke learned to work together providing support, a better future or a second chance to those most in need.
George Clarke worked with London Youth on the ground-breaking idea to bring together retired trades people and young people to refurbish derelict social housing, making them available for people on the housing waiting list. This bold idea not only helps develop skills that will help young people find jobs, but works to overcome the divides between the generations, and also makes houses available for those in need.
George began his journey as a volunteer at Knights Youth Centre but in order to keep the trial authentic, he wasn’t able to tell anyone about the potential Lottery funding. With London Youth, he helped find young people willing to become apprentices and start work on a derelict property in the London Borough of Lambeth. They had just ten days to gut and refurbish the ground floor of the house and inspire the young people whilst they handled their own personal issues of gang violence and criminal records.
Rachel Penfold, aged 18, worked on London Youth’s new skills sharing building pilot programme. She said: “Until last year I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I tried some hairdressing courses and jobs but I didn’t finish them. When I told my youth workers I had started a construction course which I liked a lot they recommended me for London Youth’s pilot project. I felt more excited about it because it made my dream of being a female construction worker a lot more real.
“Our main task was to work on a site in a house in Brixton with George Clarke, TV presenter and architect. Me and the others learned so much from this about different trades like plumbing, carpentry, painting and decorating, plastering and electrics. The pilot gave me courage to do better things and as a result I am going to Swaziland for six weeks in the summer of 2013. It is one of the poorest African countries with some of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS. I’m going with a charity called Positive Women. The Tools4Life team that I will be part of will help ten Swazi women learn new skills in carpentry which they can then pass on to others and use to earn a living.
London Youth’s project is about young people showing that they want to change their lives and do something positive. I would do it all again. It was the best experience of my life.”
Rosie Ferguson, Chief Executive of London Youth said: “We’re delighted to have had the chance to participate in this new series, and even more pleased that the Big Lottery Fund have confirmed that they will be supporting our new skills sharing building project going forward. Young people desperately want opportunities to learn new skills, and the chance to work with George Clarke and the team of mentors was a fantastic experience.
“With the Big Lottery Fund’s support, we can now roll the project out across the London Borough of Lambeth, creating 1,500 new opportunities for skills sharing and training between young people and older tradespeople over the next two years. This new project will tackle three of Britain’s biggest social problems: isolation among older people, youth unemployment and empty homes.
“We have been very lucky to work with some great partners during this development process including The Co-Sponsorship Agency who were co-creators of the project idea, London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth College and Community Trust Housing, all of whom will be continuing with the project roll out.”
Rajay Naik, Big Lottery Fund Board Member who secretly observed London Youth in action during the grant bidding process said: “A big congratulations to London Youth on securing this life changing funding. Keeping my real role hidden was hard but it was all worth it to directly see the hard work and enthusiasm of the young people involved. It was also great to see experienced tradesmen mentoring the young people and sharing their knowledge, skills and experience. It proved to be a truly inspiring way of bringing people together to learn from each other.”
Over the series, five projects will work with an enthusiastic and experienced team of Channel 4 experts – Gok Wan, Katie Piper, Jimmy Doherty, Dave Fishwick and George Clarke. www.channel4.com/secretmillions
The 5 x 60m series is produced by RDF Television (a Zodiak Media company) and Twenty Twenty (a Shed Media company). The executive producers are Tayte Simpson (RDF Television) and Meredith Chambers (Twenty Twenty).
Channel 4 for The Secret Millions: Cécile Quinney: 020 7306 1095 or cquinney@channel4.co.uk
London Youth: Shivangee Patel: 020 7549 8800 / 077366 19606 shivangee.patel@londonyouth.org.uk or Jim Minton 020 7549 8800 or jim.minton@londonyouth.org.uk
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
About the £10 million from the Big Lottery Fund
As part of the Big Lottery Fund making the £10 million available, the public was given a say on which issues they wanted to see funded. Launching a call-out in 2011, Channel 4 and the Big Lottery Fund asked people how they would spend £10 million of Lottery money in the current climate – via channel4.com/thebigdecision and commissioning a UK-wide Ipsos-Mori Poll of 2000 people. The results helped the Big Lottery Fund identify five charities who had devised exciting and innovative projects.
About the Big Lottery Fund (BIG)
• 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 its inception in 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
• 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.
This is the first time BIG has asked the public to help design and develop a grant programme from choosing the programme themes to the types of projects and beneficiaries they want funded.
About London Youth
• London Youth is a network of over 400 diverse community youth organisations in neighbourhoods across the capital. We deliver programmes with and through this network in every London borough and out of town at our two residential learning centres, creating pathways for young people to learn in a range of settings through sports development, youth leadership, outdoor education and employability. Our mission is to support and challenge young people to become the best they can be. Full details of London Youth’s work can be found on the website: www.londonyouth.org
Full details of London Youth’s work can be found on the website: www.londonyouth.org
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