- Area:
- North West England
- Programme:
- Awards for All England
- Release date:
- 2 10 2012
Vulnerable and isolated people across the North West will become more included in their communities and face a more positive future thanks to the work of groups across the region and some Lottery good cause cash.
Over £840,000 is being shared between 96 groups in the North West today, from the Big Lottery Fund’s popular small grants programme, Awards for All.
In Merseyside, the National Advocacy Service (NYAS) receives £7,688 to establish a network of young people to provide advice to other young people living in residential and foster care. They will also get involved in developing, running and evaluating services for children in care. This will help the young people develop their skills and work with other people with similar experiences to solve problems and generate ideas.
The groups will identify issues of concern, study and research social policy issues and make recommendations for changes and improvement to services for looked after children. The project will also train and support the young volunteers to represent their views and interests to local agencies. They will also be encouraged to become more confident in representing their views at conferences and other events.
NYAS Participation Officer, Alison Prescott said: “We are really pleased to have this funding to undertake this work. Children in care are amongst the most vulnerable and excluded in society. Often they have been let down by the adults they trusted and don’t feel they have a stake society. This project will value their views and empower them to become involved in shaping services for other vulnerable children.”
In Bolton, Firwood High School has been awarded £9,972 to install outdoor fitness equipment, which has been specially designed for disabled people. This will enable the school to develop an inclusive fitness club for young people with severe learning difficulties, giving them opportunities to get fit and improve their lifestyles. Also in Bolton, Rumworth School will use its £10,000 award to provide training and work experience for young people with learning difficulties, helping them increase their confidence, self-esteem and future prospects.
Another group receiving funding this month is Working Title Artists Collective in Cheshire, which has been awarded £8,164 to run non-residential boot camps for young people to discuss issues relevant to them, including geographic isolation, disability, unemployment, and anti-social behaviour. The young people will also work on creating exhibitions about their experiences, which will improve their communication skills and behaviour and help them gain qualifications in event management and youth leadership.
Meanwhile in Lancashire, the Friendship Club will use their £9,900 to provide entertainment and activities, including day trips and singing sessions, for older people in Accrington. This will give the older people the chance to enjoy new hobbies and socialise with other people to reduce their isolation.
Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the North West region, said: “It’s so inspiring to see so many projects in the region reaching out to those who may not feel they have anyone to turn to and helping people to feel more included. We are proud to be able to support these groups in their life changing work.”
BIG’s Awards for All programme offers grants of between £300 and £10,000 to social and environmental projects that will benefit local communities and make a difference to the lives of those most in need. Voluntary and community groups, schools, health organisations and parish and town councils can all apply. Visit www.awardsforall.org.uk or phone 0845 410 20 30 for more information.
A full list of awards announced today
- 420KB
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
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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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