- Area:
- North East England
- Programme:
- Communities Living Sustainably
- Release date:
- 3 9 2012
Three North East community projects have received close to £1m each of Lottery funding to help vulnerable people across the region cope with food and fuel price rises, prepare for extreme weather and change their behaviours to lead healthier lifestyles and create a more sustainable future.
Twelve projects across England have each received up to £1million each from the Big Lottery Fund’s Communities Living Sustainably initiative which is focused on inspiring people to reap financial, environmental and health gains by adapting the way they live, work, and connect together.
James Turner, Big Lottery Fund Head of the North East region, said: “These three projects will help to make green and sustainable living like second nature for communities across the North East, which will go a long way towards helping vulnerable people reduce their food and fuel costs and make their areas happier and healthier places to live.”
“Adverse weather is impacting on crops globally –this is causing an increase in food prices in UK supermarkets* and with fuel bills also predicted to rise this winter, this is being felt by people now. With this funding we are helping local communities to cope with these added pressures during the recession, taking small but important steps towards more sustainable living.”
The 12 projects have been chosen from earlier in the year, when 30 community groups received up to £10,000 to work in partnership with local people, councils, schools, businesses, and voluntary groups to draw up detailed plans for how their community can become greener. Now the 12 chosen projects will use their funding to deliver their ideas.
Sunderland Black and Minority Ethnic Network (SBMEN) has been awarded close to £1million to work in some of the most deprived areas of Sunderland to tackle fuel poverty, bring communities together, enable people to gain new skills and raise awareness of climate change and the many financial and health benefits of sustainable living. This will include training community volunteers to support local residents to make their homes more energy efficient, recycle and compost and set up green social enterprises.
The project will also introduce a ‘garden swap’ scheme, where people without a garden will borrow a corner of a neighbour’s where they can grow their own food, in return for helping with the gardening. To overcome language barriers a green e-newsletter for black and ethnic minority communities will be launched and an annual community event will be established where local groups can come together to celebrate their achievements and share the lessons they have learnt.
Michal Chantkowski, Chairperson of SBMEN, said: “The programme will make a two-fold difference, by improving people’s ability to be more environmentally friendly and making Sunderland a better place to live. It is also about enabling local people to save money on their living expenses at a very difficult time. There are high levels of fuel poverty in the area but becoming more environmentally sustainable should mean people end up with more money in their pockets.
“Black and minority ethnic communities are always keen to work for a better Sunderland and we are delighted we’ve been able to help get this funding into the city. We also want to make sure this programme works for everyone in the target area. We want to show Sunderland BME Network is needed to help strengthen the relationships between all the city’s different communities.”
Encouraging the community to adopt greener behaviours and lead healthier lifestyles will be at the heart of the work of Middlesbrough Environment City Trust (MEC), which receives just under £999,000. ‘Community Champions’ will be trained to work in areas of high fuel poverty and show residents how they can make their homes more energy efficient. The project will also promote the environmental and health benefits of cycling, increase awareness of cycle routes and encourage schools and community groups to take safe cycling and cycle maintenance training.
Decreasing levels of waste will also be an important aspect of the project, with initiatives set up to increase recycling rates and U-Sell days and an E-Bay pilot being trialled so people can sell their unwanted items. With the area north of Middlesbrough also at risk of flooding, MEC will also work with communities to show what action can be taken to mitigate climate change and better prepare people to deal with extreme weather.
Mark Fishpool of MEC said: “This funding will provide a great opportunity for more people in Middlesbrough to live sustainable lifestyles. Promoting energy efficiency will help people save money and encouraging people to grow their own produce and cycle and walk more will also help tackle some of the town’s health inequalities. It’s a win for both the people of Middlesbrough and the environment.”
Working in some of the most socially and ethnically diverse areas of Newcastle, the Workers’ Educational Association will use its £978,147 funding to make the most of the people and assets it has to build a sustainable future for the community. A Sustainability Centre will be set up where local people can come to learn and watch demonstrations on growing their own food, reducing their energy and water use, insulating their homes and recycling and reusing to reduce waste.
Up to 10 ‘Community Champions’ will be trained and recruited each year to go out into the community to provide information, advice, guidance and support on sustainable living. An annual food festival will also be established to celebrate local food and food growing sites will be set up for local people to use. Exchange visits will also be arranged to other groups receiving funding today, so people can share learning and ideas.
Supporting the groups each step of the way will be a partnership, led by Groundwork UK and including BRE, Federation of City Farms, Energy Savings Trust and nef. It will offer advice and guidance and also establish a learning support network to capture and share learning with other communities and inform the future development of investments of BIG’s Sustainable and Resilient Communities strategy. (www.communitieslivingsustainably.org.uk)
Communities Living Sustainably is part of the Big Lottery Fund’s £50m Sustainable and Resilient Communities strategy, which aims to encourage behaviour change among individuals and communities so they can cope better with the environmental, economic and social impacts of a changing climate. Vulnerable people, including those on low-incomes or older people, are less likely to cope with the negative effects of climate change such as floods, heat waves or severe cold weather.
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
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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 £4.4bn.
- 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 £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
- * British Retail Consortium http://www.brc.org.uk/brc_news_detail.asp?id=2269
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