- Area:
- North East England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 11 9 2012
Around 3,000 disadvantaged young people in County Durham will benefit from a £252,471 grant from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to improve their physical and mental health.
The grant, awarded to Groundwork North East, will provide youth club activities with the additional aim of reducing antisocial behaviour in the north-west and east of the county.
It is one of four projects in the region sharing more than £1million today from BIG’s flagship Reaching Communities programme which helps those most in need and builds stronger communities. A project in the east of County Durham along with projects in Northumberland and Middlesbrough will benefit.
Groundwork North East will focus on eight to 19-year-olds and provide a service delivered by trained youth workers. They will organise fun or interesting activities such as sport, healthy eating workshops, art sessions, as well as targeted sessions on drugs, alcohol, smoking, sexual health, education and employment. Other events could include attending local carnivals and trips to army training camps.
The group will also offer a one-to-one mentoring service to address traumatic or unsettling events at home and personal issues related to antisocial behaviour. A new counselling service will also be offered to young people suffering from emotional, social or psychological problems. The group will be focussing its work particularly in Consett, Stanley, Easington, Blackhall and Horden.
Youth Team Leader Giovanni Spatuzzi, said: “Receiving this grant from the Big Lottery Fund is absolutely vital to continuing and developing our work, particularly in these times when public services are being cut. We know that the work we do with children and young people really makes a difference as evidenced by their feedback. We have been running services across County Durham that have provided things to do and places to go for children and young people which have resulted in an increase in their personal, social and educational development and have reduced the chances of them becoming involved in crime and incidents of antisocial behaviour.”
In the east of County Durham, a £469,779 grant is being awarded to refund the refurbishment of St Mary’s Community Hall in Horden. The hall is well used but it is outdated, with poor access and an inefficient structure and can only hold one activity at a time. Horden Regeneration Centre aims to tackle six local issues – low educational attainment, unemployment, health, crime, financial problems and social isolation to help local people realise their potential. The project will focus on Horden’s former colliery housing but communities of Peterlee, Easington Colliery and Blackhall will also benefit.
Following the refurbishment, more activities will be held including a jobs club, work taster sessions, social nights, a ‘cuppa with a copper’, apprenticeships, counselling, suicide prevention, alcohol and drugs misuse, stop smoking, cooking on a budget, a credit union and volunteer training. The refurbishment work will include lift, IT room, kitchen facilities, meeting rooms, office and a new car park.
People in Northumberland with a learning disability will benefit from a £245,622 grant to enable them to take part in theatre and creative workshops to address negative stereotypes and play a fuller role in their community. The Headstrong Productions project will involve children and young people in drama, dance, mask-making and floor drawings while adults will enjoy drumming, painting and sewing to increase their confidence and self esteem.
A sensory and activity garden for profoundly disabled people will be created in Middlesbrough thanks to a £78,037 grant. Middlesbrough Gateway Club’s project will provide gentle activities to improve concentration including mini golf, basket ball, bowls, skittles, a ‘musical ball through the tunnel’ game along with a sensory garden including a path of artificial grass and plants to stimulate touch, sound, sight and smell.
James Turner, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the North East region, said: “It is crucial for young people to get the best start in life, to be healthy and encouraged towards positive and inspirational activities. The Groundwork North East project will help around 3,000 young people in Durham make better choices to take them towards a better future.
“All of these grants across our region will improve the lives of thousands of the most vulnerable people and help build stronger communities.”
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 £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.
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