Lottery cash shapes better future for Brighton excluded

Area:

South East England

Programme:

Reaching Communities

Release date:

30 1 2007

The grants have been awarded from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, to the City of Brighton and Hove Credit Union Limited and the Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project.

Big Lottery Fund Head of South East England Alison Rowe said: “These terrific projects will give disadvantaged people in Brighton and Hove better opportunities by helping them manage their finances and improve their health. They typify how the Reaching Communities programme is making a difference to so many lives.”

The City of Brighton and Hove Credit Union Limited has received £76,152 over four years for its Money Matters project, that will provide one-stop financial help for thousands of households on low incomes.

Adrian Davies, General Manager, City of Brighton and Hove Credit Union, said: “This award is fantastic news for both the Credit Union and the estimated 18,000 low income households that find themselves living in one of the most expensive cities in the country.”

He said people on low incomes for reasons including sickness, unemployment or work in low paid jobs often found it difficult to access bank services or receive help with budgeting, leading to stress and compounding debt. Instead of needing to seek help from a number of agencies, they will get all the financial advice and account services they need at the credit union.

Mr Davies said: “Too often local residents are paying more because of their low income. Without access to basic financial services they can face interest rates of more than 400 per cent just to borrow a couple of hundred pounds through the home credit industry.

“We will provide a one-stop financial health check to tackle the problem of financial exclusion and the poverty it causes. This project will enable the Credit Union to help people budget more effectively, make sure they are getting all the money to which they are entitled, open a bank account and access affordable credit and savings facilities.

“By providing a one-stop solution to this problem we will provide a range of financial services from under one roof that many people on more moderate incomes may take for granted.”

The Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project has received £149,803 over five years for its HealthWorks scheme to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of people excluded from the community because of poverty or mental health issues.

Jantien Hebbes, service user and Chair of Trustees at the centre, said: “Everyone at the centre is so pleased about getting a Big Lottery Fund award.  This funding gives the green light to all the ideas and enthusiasm that has been bubbling away here over the last few months.”

HealthWorks will create a community food project and support people to participate in health focussed activities, training opportunities and courses.  Participants will have the chance to learn about cooking, nutrition and food hygiene through volunteering in the centre’s kitchen. They will also have the chance to grow vegetables at an allotment, help run a wholefood co-operative or join the many groups and activities designed to help people to become more physically active.

Ms Hebbes said: “Activities such as the walking group, cookery classes and working with others to grow food at the new allotment will really engage people, helping them to feel less isolated and alone, giving them new skills and experiences and helping them to become linked in to the services they need. Thank you BIG for this opportunity to help people to help themselves.”

The Brighton and Hove projects are among five schemes in the South East that are receiving in total more than £1.1 million from the Reaching Communities programme.

In Crawley, training in basic IT and communication skills will create opportunities for work and social integration for the ethnic community in a project by the Khaleefah Society Ltd granted £156,001. A new Southampton outreach service will break the cycle of poverty caused by mental illness thanks to a £471,371 award to Solent Mind and Southampton CAB. And in the Isle of Wight a host of activities for young people around East Cowes will be guaranteed for the next five years thanks to a £255,907 award to the Pavilion East Cowes, Community Interest Company.

The Reaching Communities programme awards up to £500,000 over five years to projects that offer people better chances in life, build strong communities, improve urban and rural environments and promote healthy activities.

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

• 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.
• 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.
• UK-wide, the Big Lottery Fund will distribute through its new programmes and allocations funding worth over £2.6bn between now and April 2009. Regularly updated information on the Big Lottery Fund’s new programmes is available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/publications.htm

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