Lottery grants recognise Durham’s unsung heroes

Area:

North East England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

20 2 2007

Three schemes in Teeside and the Wear Valley, Easington and Derwentside will receive grants announced today from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme. They are among five projects in the North East sharing in a £700,000 total cash pot.

The wellbeing of full-time carers will be boosted under a £217,599 grant to Durham Dales Action For Carers. Health link workers will arrange medical checks and support groups for carers who often struggle to find the time and energy to stay in shape. Counselling and aromatherapy sessions will be offered to alleviate stress. The health link workers will develop a carers practice register and organise healthy living events.

Terry Willits, Chair for Durham Dales Action for Carers, said: “Our project will ensure that carers will gain an awareness of, and receive access to, a wide range of support and services. Our health link workers, who do absolutely tremendous work identifying and supporting up to 100 new carers each year, will continue to form strong bonds with carers. Our support helps carers to effectively carry out their role, which is an important factor in keeping the cared for at home and out of hospital. We are particularly pleased that this support from the Big Lottery Fund secures our future at the start of a new year.”

In Easington, a children’s service’s officer will support youngsters traumatised by domestic violence under a £155,500 award to the East Durham Domestic Violence Forum. The worker will speak to children, through play, group and one-to-one work, in schools and community settings where youngsters will feel safe to express their situation. They will also hold domestic violence awareness classes and a helpline will be provided.

Gail Murphy, Coordinator for East Durham Domestic Violence Forum, said: “When supporting women experiencing domestic violence, we feel it is equally important to offer the same level of support and advice to their children. Many of the women we work with have told us that their children are affected by domestic violence and have asked us for help. By employing a children's worker we will be able to offer a holistic service to families, ensuring that each family member can heal and support each other.”

An £86,677 award to the Derwentside Citizens Advice Bureau will support people experiencing mental health problems deal with individual needs such as debt, housing, employment and benefits. A specialist worker will aim to alleviate problems contributing to ill health and break down barriers that prevent people with mental illness accessing services.

In other grants for the North West, Chillingham Road Sports and Arts Centre in Newcastle will spend its £52,944 grant building a new outdoor play area at primary school in Heaton for schoolchildren, community groups and youngsters in the area. The Berwick Citizens Advice Bureau in Northumberland has been awarded £199,722 to provide advice, information and case work to migrant workers at weekly outreach sessions to increase their financial stability, reduce stress and isolation and promote understanding between the workers and villagers.

James Turner, Big Lottery Fund Head of North East England, said: “Today, we are really pleased to award grants to these three groups from Durham that strive so hard to provide for local people. They each show how Reaching Communities offers people better chances in life, builds strong communities, improves urban and rural environments and promotes healthy activities.”

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 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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