- Area:
- London
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 30 1 2007
The Big Lottery Fund today announced a massive £1.7 million cash injection to reach out to some of the most underprivileged communities and individuals within the capital.
Among those gaining a chunk of today’s good cause funding is a project in south London to help young people work their way along the road to qualifications in vehicle maintenance – including young people who are at risk of offending.
Close to £282,000 is going to the Ilderton Motor Project, to fund its Bermondsey Motor Project. The project will target young people that may have been involved with car crime or are at risk of offending, to channel their interest in vehicles through workshops and educational courses. Participants will gain a better sense of community and work towards accredited qualifications as they learn about literacy, numeracy and motor vehicle maintenance.
Ilderton Motor Project Chief Executive, David Wambebe, said: “The funding support from the Big Lottery Fund has provided Ilderton Motor Project with a firmer foundation on which it can build quality services for disaffected young people, increasing the scope of opportunities available to them and ensuring consistency of approach, which are pre-requisites in giving young people confidence in the future.”
The Motor project grant is one of several new good cause grants announced today from the Reaching Communities programme. Other communities in London to benefit include projects in Brixton, Lambeth, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
A grant close to half a million, £499,975, is going to Conflict and Change Limited to enhance community harmony in Newham by increasing understanding between communities living in the area. A variety of activities and workshops will be held and volunteers will be trained in skills to get groups living in the area to communicate better and understand each other’s lifestyles, concerns and issues. The project targets hard to reach groups, such as newly settled communities, including migrants and refugees, as well as longstanding residents like the ‘white east enders’ who have seen huge changes to the character of the area.
Ruth Musgrave, Conflict and Change, Project Coordinator, said: “We will use the grant to help reduce tensions within communities in Newham by providing training to build confidence and communication skills among groups of people who currently struggle to find a voice. It will also give us the opportunity to increase understanding between communities through creating opportunities for people to take part in structured conversations about community issues and in activities together across ethnic or religious differences.”
She added: “We are really grateful to receive funding for five years as it will give us the time we need to consolidate skills and build lasting bridges of understanding.”
In Lambeth, the Spires Streetlink project has been awarded £110,483 so it can continue its work to provide advice and help for women involved in the sex trade and help them leave prostitution. As part of the three-year project a specially converted van will be used for outreach work, providing a place for women to sit and talk with the project’s staff and get support and advice on a range of issues. The project will provide other services such as alerts about dangerous clients, condom distribution, a needle exchange, and legal advice. Sessions at the Spires Day Centre will also allow the women to develop life skills, and address issues including illiteracy, housing, mental health and drug and alcohol misuse.
Pamela Mazava, Service Manager, Spires Streetlink, said: “Spires Streetlink is a project that exists to help meet the complex health, social, psychological and emotional needs of vulnerable women involved in sex work, through specific outreach and centre based services in Lambeth. In 2006 we had contact with 320 women.
“With the funding from the Big Lottery Fund, we aim to reduce the number of women who become involved in street prostitution and increase the level of support for women wanting a route out of prostitution – this will involve increasing our women only drop in services and have more staff focusing on one to one support to move women into treatment and more mainstream services.”
The Alzheimer’s Society has been awarded £328,814 for its Dementia Outreach and Support Service in Tower Hamlets. The five-year project will provide support and advice to dementia sufferers by improving their knowledge and understanding of the disease, its symptoms and causes. The project will also increase the general public’s knowledge of dementia and how to prevent it.
In Brixton, the Bay Tree Centre has been awarded £437,512 to run a volunteer centre, utilising members of the local community to mentor students at its adult education centre. The project will greatly improve student’s levels of attainment as someone is mentoring them from their own community and background.
Also, the Myanmar Burma Relief & Welfare Association, in Wembley, has been awarded £83,371 to expand its services offered to the Burmese community in London. Older members of the community will be particularly targeted to tackle isolation and breakdown social barriers. Activities will include sessions on health, social care, housing, education, and cultural needs.
Big Lottery Fund Head of London Region, Debbie Pippard, said: “Each of these grants are benefiting very different sections of London’s communities, reflecting the vast range of needs across the capital. Whether helping to reduce conflict within communities or helping young offenders get back on track, these are just a few examples of the excellent causes that are receiving funding through our Reaching Communities programme.”
Further information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 845 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
- 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.
- 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.
- UK-wide, the Big Lottery Fund will distribute through its new programmes and allocations funding worth over £2.6bn between now and April 2009. Regularly updated information on the Big Lottery Fund’s new programmes is available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/publications.htm
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