- Area:
- North East England
- Programme:
- Awards for All England
- Release date:
- 9 4 2013
Green-fingered youngsters will grow plants and flowers and offer to plant them in elderly neighbours’ gardens, thanks to grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
South Tyneside Positive Activities, which receives £9,212, is just one of 41 groups in the North East receiving funding from BIG’s most popular grants scheme Awards For All which gives small grants of up to £10,000 to projects that can make a big difference to people’s lives.
The South Tyneside charity will provide young people aged 11 to 25 with the skills to grow flowers and plants at its allotment to add a splash of colour to the gardens of local residents. They will put up hanging baskets and offer a helping hand to older people who may have trouble keeping on top of garden chores.
Cheryl Spamer, Project Coordinator at South Tyneside Positive Activities, said: “This funding means we will be able to teach the young people how to grow flowers and plants at our allotment to brighten up the local area. Our young volunteers will learn new skills so they will be able to help older or frail residents maintain their gardens, weeding, pruning, clipping and helping them plant hanging baskets in their front gardens.
“We have so many good kids around here. We’ve held litter picking events – one occasion 28 young people turned up in the pouring rain to help clean the area. They’ve also helped remove dumped shopping trolleys. By helping out older people we hope to bridge a gap between the generations and show just how community-spirited many of the young people are in our area.”
Meanwhile, long-term unemployed people in Willington will learn woodwork and business enterprise skills from Cornerstone Supported Housing and Counselling Ltd. The organisation, which received £8,780, aims to increase the skills, confidence, motivation of participants and the opportunity to gain qualifications to improve their chances at future employment.
A £10,000 grant is music to the ears of autistic children in Durham who will be given the opportunity to work with a junior brass band, play instruments and read music, thanks to the award to New Generation Brass. The project will improve the young people’s confidence and social skills. The money will go towards trumpets, cornets, drum kits, tuba, microphone system and music tuition.
Middleton St George Parish Council has received £9,534 to run a project using local volunteers to carry out a wildlife survey and clear a riverbank with an ecological organisation, to preserve the natural area and improve access for visitors. Work will involve breeding birds and a survey of otters and water voles.
A special school in South Shields has received £10,000 to install outdoor gym equipment in their grounds. Bamburgh School will provide extra-curricular physical activity opportunities for pupils with mental and emotional conditions, as well as weekly fitness session for their families and the wider community. Equipment will include a chest press, bicycle, cross trainer, double air walker, hip surfer and leg press.
Big Lottery Fund spokesperson Tessa Wiley said: “It seems to be taking its time to warm up this year but with Spring officially here it’s great to announce a project that will utilise the goodwill of many young volunteers, which often goes unrecognised, to help out their older neighbours in their gardens by tidying up and planting flowers.
“All of our small Awards For All grants will make a huge difference to thousands of people across the North East.”
Full list of awards
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 £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.
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