Bolton's children get extra playtime with Lottery funding

Area:

North West England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

13 3 2012

Bolton’s youngest get to play and their parents and guardians will receive much needed extra support thanks to National Lottery good cause funding announced today. Projects in Greater Manchester, Hyndburn, Salford and Fylde will also share in close to £1 million from the Big Lottery Fund.

Today’s funding comes from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme which aims to help those most in need and build stronger communities.

Receiving £119,970 is Bolton Toy Library for its Playlink project which supports families with children aged 0-5. Free interactive drop-in play sessions in a safe environment for children will be available plus professional support for parents and guardians on the stages of a child’s learning and development. Parents of children with special educational needs will also be able to access specialist resources to help with their child’s development goals as well as support and guidance.

With the new funding, Bolton Toy Library will now be able to expand their services from one to three days each week and also offer confidence building sessions incorporating creative play and arts plus crafts, music and parachute play. It is hoped that parents will be able to forge friendships with other parents living in the area and share experiences and support from each other. Parents interested in the Bolton Toy Library can find out more by calling 01204 559566.

Anita Ball, Bolton Toy Library said: “We are delighted to be awarded the three year Lottery grant. The Playlink project based at Bolton Toy Library is a unique service for the area bringing families together through play whilst improving social and emotional wellbeing and relieving financial hardship. Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund 1,500 children, parents and carers will benefit from the service.”

Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre today receives £435,000 for its Salford Prison Project which will work closely with men leaving prison to minimise the risks that could prompt them to re-offend and focus on supporting their integration back into the community.  Individually designed support packages will address a range of issues including finances, housing, health, relationships, diversionary activities and substance misuse. The project will encourage skills development to help towards future employment alongside inviting participants to volunteer within the project as peer mentors.

Importantly the men will be visited in prison before they are released to assess their personal situation and ensure a support plan is ready for when they leave. A project worker will meet each participant at the prison gates on their release to assist them during the critical stage when they are first released and most vulnerable.

Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund North West Head of Region said: “Close to £1million is awarded today to five projects that will all make a huge difference to the communities they serve. Community projects interested in finding out about how they can benefit from Lottery funding can find out more at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk”

The five projects receiving Reaching Communities Lottery good cause funding today in the North West 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 46% 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 £27 billion has now been raised and more than 370,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

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