Public grant is sweet music for Widnes community

Area:

North West England

Programme:

Community Assets

Release date:

23 3 2009

Residents of Widnes will soon be hitting some top notes, thanks to a development grant of over £602,000 to provide a fantastic new arts and activity centre right at the heart of the community.

Awarded to LOOSE, a volunteer led music collective, the grant comes from the Community Assets programme funded by the The Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and delivered by the Big Fund, the non-Lottery funding operation of the Big Lottery Fund.

The funding is for a project to refurbish the Queens Hall Studio to create a bigger, better and more secure and accessible centre for local people. Once transformed the centre will offer many new and dynamic facilities such as specialist provision for regular live music performances, rehearsal rooms, recording facilities, workshops, and activities, for which local young people in particular expressed a need.

The new space, which will offer a large stage area, several meeting rooms and an office, will provide a welcome sanctuary for local creative groups, including Loose music, Feedback magazine, and Split Ends Theatre Company. It will also provide budding local musicians of all genres and all ages with performance opportunities, and the chance to participate and enjoy the centre as a venue on the UK touring circuit.

Jaki Florek member of the Loose Committee said: "We are absolutely thrilled - it will give such a boost to the area for people of all ages, especially to our local young people, and it will save the building which is of local historic value from demolition."

Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for the Third Sector, said, “The Government is investing £30   million across the country into excellent community projects such as Queens Hall Studio. Facilities such as these are much needed by voluntary and community groups, particularly during these challenging economic times when people are increasingly calling on community support.”

Helen Bullough North West Head of Region at the Big Lottery Fund, added: “Queens Hall Studio is a fantastic project which will not only provide an exciting activity hub but will encourage people of all ages within the community to come together to share and celebrate local talent.”

Further Information

Big Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 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

• Community Assets is a non-Lottery programme funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
• The Big Fund is the non-Lottery funding operation of the Big Lottery Fund.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) distributes lottery funding to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. It also uses its expertise in grant-giving to distribute non-Lottery funding. BIG has been appointed to distributed around £30 million of Government funding through Community Assets
• The aim of Community Assets is community empowerment. It will do this by facilitating the transfer of genuine assets from local authorities to the third sector for the benefit of the community.  Community Assets will bring about the following outcomes:

1. Local third sector organisations have greater security and independence, and are better able to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
2. Communities have more access to better facilities that respond to their needs.
3. There is more effective partnership working between local authorities and the third sector.

• The range of activities to be offered by the recipients of Community Assets in principle grants includes:

1. Holiday play facilities and activities for parents and pre-school children
2. Facilities for young people providing alternative education services, evening coffee bar, leisure facilities, professional advice and guidance, anti-gun and knife crime events
3. GP referrals, healthy eating service, facilities offering keep fit classes, group wellbeing activities, a wheelchair service, therapy and rehabilitation services
4. Adult education, training courses, addiction assistance, ICT facilities and employment opportunities in deprived areas
5. Lunch clubs and tea dances for the elderly
6. Theatre events, rehearsal space, music facilities, venues for music events, creative arts groups and experimental art exhibitions
7. Meeting rooms, office services and facilities for smaller local groups including BME communities
8. Workshops, training rooms and support to local business start-ups
9. New tourism and leisure destinations

• The Office of the Third Sector was formed (OTS) in May 2006 in recognition of the increasingly important role the third sector plays in both society and the economy. It aims to drive forward the Government's role in supporting a thriving third sector, and join up sector-related work across government: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.
• From 30 March to 23 June 2007 the Office of the Third Sector ran a public consultation on how Community Assets will work.  A wide range of local authorities and third sector organisations responded to the consultation. The Office of the Third Sector summarised the responses and explained how they will influence the final programme on 10 August 2007.
• The Community Assets fund was first proposed last year in the Pre-Budget Report (6 December 2006).
• http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/makingassetswork

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