Kent carers project shares in £1.8m lottery funding across the South East

Area:

South East England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

11 9 2012

Carers looking after vulnerable relatives will be offered vital support to boost their wellbeing, thanks to a grant of almost £195,000 from Big Lottery Fund (BIG). The project is one of eight across the region celebrating awards today.

North West Kent Carers Support Service (NWK Carers) will make a positive difference to the lives of almost 300 unpaid carers living in North West Kent. Through their Lottery funding, the Gravesham-based project will expand their carer-led support groups across the county, offering more provision for rural areas and during evenings. Sessions will include speakers from voluntary and community groups and will cover subjects such as health and financial matters, keeping fit, manual lifting and confidence training. In response to feedback a new respite service will be introduced, providing care cover to allow carers to attend a support session or social event - at present volunteers only provide shopping breaks.

A study* by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers last December found that nearly 70 per cent of over-60s looking after loved ones said being a carer had damaged their health. In June, ministers pledged to offer paid respite holidays to carers looking after vulnerable relatives, with the ‘sandwich generation’ juggling caring for elderly parents and supporting children to be given greater help**. According to the Carers Trust, an estimated 1.25 million people spend more than 50 hours a week caring for family members unable to look after themselves.

Denise Painter, Chair of NWK Carers, said: “We are delighted with this award which recognises the hard work we have been doing. It will enable us to continue and expand our work in supporting the carers of North West Kent. All of our services are tailored to the needs of each individual and all are offered a personal home visit to ascertain these needs.This is both time consuming and costly but we feel a vital part of the involvement we offer - in these difficult economic times this money is a life line to us.”

Also offering support to families in need is Family Lives (FL) in Southampton, which will expand its work across Hampshire to help parents and guardians build skills, confidence and knowledge through intensive support, workshops and courses. Through their Lottery grant of £281,474, FL will aim to reduce isolation among families and help them to address their own needs and look for their own solutions. The work will consist of a selection of four to six week courses, such as anger management. Alongside this will be one-off workshops that will focus on specific parenting issues, such as ‘stress busting'.

Helen Roberts, Area Manager for Family Lives, said: “We are really excited about the opportunity to continue working with families in Hampshire.The Lottery money will enable us to work with families who are experiencing difficulties and feeling anxious and isolated. We get referrals from a range of professionalsto support families to build on their skills in order to provide positive parenting and improvements for their children.

“We will now be able to provide workshops and individual support to families and thereby raise the aspirations of children throughout the county.We will be able to continue to support families in need through our workshops and also on a one-to-one basis.Family Lives has community support hubs in eights areas of Hampshire and we will be able to expand and develop these over the next 12 months so that families can access us locally.”

Also receiving funding today to help disadvantaged families is The Fellowship of St Nicholas which will deliver its Come Dine and Shine project to the communities of Hastings and Rye. Through its grant of £113,514, this initiative will encourage families to become healthier by learning how to prepare healthy meals on a budget and be more active. Families will undertake a six week programme of activities which includes cooking meals for each other on a rotational basis and engaging in physical activities such as dance or hula hooping, obstacle course runs and ball games. The final week of the course will be dedicated to a celebratory event where all families prepare food for a picnic.

Today’s funding of almost £1.8m comes from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, aiming to help those most in need and build stronger communities.

Sacha Rose-Smith, BIG’s Head of the South East region, said: “Unpaid carers carry out a remarkable service which can often go unnoticed, but if we don’t provide them with the right support, they will be unable to continue with their responsibilities.

“Lottery funding going to projects across the South East this month will support many individuals and families in need, providing them with the tools to determine solutions to their problems together, and lead more content and stable lives.”

A full list of South East projects receiving funding today:

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 370,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

* Always on Call, Always Concerned, A Survey of the Experiences of Older Carers, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, 2011

**Department of Health White Paper, ‘Caring for our future: reforming care and support’, published 11 July 2012

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