£500,000 BIG grant after rise in abused women seeking help

Area:

North West England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

14 8 2012

A project in East Lancashire has received just under half a million pounds to help deal with the rise in the number of women seeking help for domestic violence.

The HARV Domestic Violence Team has received £499,989 to increase the safety of high risk families and continue to provide frontline workers to protect women at risk of serious harm or murder.

The project will benefit hundreds of women and their children in the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley areas who are at serious risk of harm by husbands, ex-partners or family members.

The funding will also be specifically aimed at black and minority ethnic families, particularly those in the local Pakistani community. The project has experienced an increase in referrals from this community including shocking cases of so-called ‘honour’ crimes, female circumcision and forced marriages.

HARV Domestic Violence Team Manager Debbie Fawcett said: “This funding from the Big Lottery Fund comes as a relief. It secures our future for another four years. This funding will help us respond to the increase of referrals we have experienced. Last year we helped 1,000 women, the year before it was 700. We think there has been an increase because what we are doing is working and word is spreading.

“We will be focussing on high risk families – where a family is known to social services, or a perpetrator has a criminal history. Services for ethnic minority families will be developed to respond to an increase in referrals involving honour-based violence and forced marriages. Cases of female genital mutilation have involved teenage girls who have entered into a relationship and the mutilation was performed by an elder to protect their virtue. Some of the women can’t speak English and are therefore more isolated and vulnerable.”

The project will provide access to safe accommodation, support in criminal and civil court proceedings and will address other issues like housing, drug and alcohol use, parenting skills and counselling.

The funding for HARV comes from BIG’s flagship Reaching Communities programme which helps those most in need and builds stronger communities.

A grant of £180,470 is being awarded to a new project in Cheshire East to provide bereavement support to children who have lost, or are about to lose, a parent or loved one. Young people’s lives can be severely disrupted through the death of a significant adult leading to feelings of exclusion, isolation as the child deals with unfamiliar raw emotions.

The project will be delivered at the East Cheshire Hospice in Macclesfield and children will have access to an informal buddying system to gain support from another young person who has gone though a similar experience. The service is available to people living in Cheshire East and the High Peak area of North Derbyshire.

Funding is being provided for a new project to improve access to domestic violence and abuse support services in Liverpool. South Liverpool Domestic Abuse Services receives £264,932 to focus on communities that are unaware of the services available to help them.

East Lancashire People First received £164,518 to increase drop-in sessions, activities and events for people with learning disabilities and to open a second charity shop. It is an organisation for people with learning difficulties led by people with learning difficulties, supporting them with personal development activities, training and leisure services to become more active in the community. The second charity shop will also be opened, increasing the work experience opportunities and also make the organisation self-sustainable in the future. The project helps people living specifically in Accrington, Burnley, Clitheroe, Pendle and Rossendale.

Young people in Blackpool, Wyre and Flyde will benefit from a £199,333 grant to UR Potential Community Interest Company to develop more volunteering opportunities which have the potential of leading to further education, training and employment. Some of the young people will be trained to mentor others to provide reassurance, especially to those with mental health issues or learning difficulties who may struggle with pressure and expectations.

Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the North West region, said: “Domestic violence abuse can shatter families and leave an impact lasting long after the emotional and physical abuse is over. Our funding will help identify, support and protect those women and children who are most in danger of serious harm.

“The grants we are making in our region will help thousands of people who are most in need and help build stronger communities.”

Other projects in the North West receiving funding today are:

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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