- Area:
- North West England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 30 1 2007
Three North West projects to give vulnerable people of all ages a new lease of life are sharing in close to £285,000 of grants announced today by the Big Lottery Fund.
The funding, which will provide a range of new activities including dancing, cooking, gardening, and cycling for the disabled, is from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, which is today awarding over £10.2 million across England to support initiatives that offer people better chances in life, build strong communities, improve local environments and promote healthy activities.
Disabled children in Rochdale will be getting on their bikes with the Rochdale Special Needs Cycling Club project, Enabling Children with Disabilities, today awarded £41,294, to expand this free voluntary service to help meet the needs of disabled children in the area. The award will enable the purchase of new bicycles such as child/ adult tandems for blind and partially sighted children, 'Pino' child carrying tandems for children with physical disabilities, 'Duet' bicycle-wheelchair combinations for severely disabled children and 'Pedicab' bicycle/ rickshaws also breakdown novice riders, which carry up to three children with disabilities and are suitable for those who can not ride or sit on a bicycle. Offering free membership and cycling equipment for disabled youngsters, the club holds bike rides every weekend and in schools holidays, along with special camping trips.
Lewis Blank, Chairman said: This is by far the largest grant we have had and it will enable us to take out more children than we ever have before. This is a very impoverished area and the funding will help us to improve the quality of life and reduce isolation for local children with disabilities by providing them with an opportunity to enjoy new recreational activities and become part of a regular social group within the community.
Older people across Heywood, Middleton, and Rochdale will soon be facing the music, and dancing, thanks to a £114,100 award for a project to promote physical activity and social wellbeing for the over fifties. Rochdale-based Spiral Dance Ltd, will launch its Every Body Dances - Step to Fitness project to develop and provide regular creative movement and dance sessions for active, and frail older people in local community centres, residential homes and hospitals.
Catherine Robinson, Development Manager, Spiral Dance Ltd said: “Spiral Dance is really excited about the Big Lottery Fund grant. It will enable us to develop new opportunities in dance, with adults aged 50 and older. We will be working with health organisations, community centres and sheltered housing groups using creative movement and formal dance styles with opportunities to perform, celebrate and share work. We are excited at the prospect of promoting the physical, emotional, social and mental wellbeing of the older people in our communities, which this funding will make possible.”
Accrington-based Scaitcliffe Community Centre will be dishing up a programme of community activities with their 'Step-2-It' project, today receiving £129,165. Step-2-It will train and recruit community food workers and exercise instructors to deliver after school cooking and gardening clubs, along with workshops that will cover growing and cooking, healthy lifestyles, and exercise. The project aims to celebrate the diversity of food cultures in different ethnic groups, bringing people together from different backgrounds to learn about each other’s dietary habits and traditional dishes.
Koser Mahmood said: “We are delighted to receive this award and look forward to the difference it will make to the community. The step-to-it programme will not only promote a healthy lifestyle but also provide knowledge to ordinary individuals who remain unaware of how to create healthy lifestyles. This award will make a difference to so many people of all ages, thank you.”
Big Lottery Fund Head of North West Region, Helen Bullough said: “The programme is giving communities across England the resources to really improve the lives of people in need in their local areas. It is wonderful to see people bringing us ideas on healthy living, supporting the disadvantaged and just lightening the step for older people amongst many innovative projects which are being turned into action by creative spending of Lottery money.”
Further information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 845 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
- 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.
- 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.
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