- Area:
- North West England
- Programme:
- Village SOS
- Release date:
- 23 8 2012
Three weeks left for communities in the North West to apply to Village SOS Lottery funding scheme for projects to buck rural decline.
Residents of Warton in Lancashire are celebrating today after their Village SOS was answered with a Big Lottery Fund grant of £39,385 to build a community centre at the local parish church.
The money comes from Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS scheme, which is supporting rural communities across the UK to come together to improve facilities, services and opportunities for local people.
The Big Lottery Fund is urging other rural communities with populations of less than 3,000 across the region to the make the most of the funding scheme before it closes on 12 September. Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are available for enterprising projects from community-run shops and pubs to energy or transport schemes, and craft or food projects. For more information visit: www.villagesos.org.uk
The Warton project will turn two currently unused rooms into a meeting room for social groups and a fitness room with gym equipment. The enterprise will generate an income for the community through hiring of the meeting room and paid membership of the fitness room, as well as having the social benefit of increasing the health and wellbeing of the local community.
Ian Rosindale, one of the organisers of the Warton Community Wellbeing Centre project, said: “This is a small village with a lot of young families and working on this project has not just given us a fantastic new building but also lead to a real increase in the sense of community. This scale of this project simply wouldn’t have been possible without the funding from Village SOS. It’s been a lifesaver.”
Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund Head of the North West region, said: “This fantastic project shows what can be achieved when a community pulls together towards a single goal. With the rural way of life under threat from various factors, Village SOS provides vital support for all sorts of community-run social enterprises. However, the closing date for applications is rapidly approaching and we want to hear from as many ambitious projects as possible in the next three weeks. Make sure your village doesn’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity.”
To find out more about how to apply call 0845 434 9123.
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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