- Area:
- South East England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 20 2 2007
A holiday playscheme to provide exciting learning activities for children from deprived areas is among three projects across Berkshire, Surrey and Hants sharing in close to £329,000 announced by the Big Lottery Fund today.
The grants, part of over £2.1 million awarded today across the South East under BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, will go to CHIPS Guildford, Bracknell & District Citizens Advice Bureau and Hampshire Search and Rescue.
Big Lottery Fund Head of South East England Alison Rowe said: “These three very different projects will bring real benefits to all age groups across the community, be it educational holidays, financial advice or vital rescue services. They typify how the Reaching Communities programme is making a difference to so many lives.”
An innovative school holiday scheme to help children from deprived areas in Surrey is today awarded £136,744. Set up to provide activity holidays for children aged four to eleven year old, CHIPS Guildford - Children's Holiday Playschemes will offer youngsters an opportunity to show off their talents through a creative programme of arts and crafts, sports, dance, drama, music and jewellery making workshops. The scheme, which will operate from two local schools, will provide disadvantaged children with the opportunity to socialise and develop social and problem solving skills, and promote their self-worth and confidence.
Chris Bunting, Head of Cultural Services said: "CHIPS Guildford is a charity set up to provide quality holiday play provision for children whose parents need help and assistance, and to establish a safe, fun and stimulating play environment with a varied programme of activities. CHIPS has operated for four years and had no future beyond Easter 2007.
He continued: “This Big Lottery Fund grant has ensured that for at least the next five years, the charity can continue to provide excellent opportunities for four to ten year olds in North Guildford. To say the committee was ecstatic upon hearing the news is an understatement, because without the grant a huge amount of work would have gone to waste and deprived the children of a wonderful service. So thank you the Big Lottery Fund".
Hampshire Search and Rescue provides round the clock cover to assist the police and various other agencies in searching for vulnerable missing persons. With a £30,000 grant to purchase a new control vehicle for managing incidents, their task will become a bit easier. The new vehicle, which will replace an ageing one that has become extremely unreliable, will now allow the group to carry out more efficient searches for victims of accidents or disaster across Hampshire and Surrey.
Simon Jeffs, Treasurer said: “We are delighted to receive this Big Lottery Fund grant. It will enable us to replace our Incident Control Vehicle used for managing and deploying search teams. The vehicle will assist us on searches for missing vulnerable people in Hampshire and Surrey. We will also use the vehicle at local events for publicity and recruitment of volunteers.”
Money talks, thanks to a £162,114 award made to Bracknell & District Citizens Advice Bureau for a project to help disadvantaged local people manage their money and stay out of debt. Money Talks, a project developed from a successful pilot project, will run regular money surgeries where people can drop in to discuss their financial problems, and will also provide outreach workshops to access hard to reach groups. The aim of the project is to give people professional advice on how to manage everyday money matters, gain confidence and make informed and positive decisions for the future.
Anne Harding, MoneyTalks Project Worker said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this Big Lottery Fund grant, which now enables us to go forward and plan for the future. Many of our clients are on low income or living on benefits and are often trapped in cycles of debt. This project will give us the opportunity to offer preventative, on the spot advice, which will help people tackle their money problems, gain skills and better chances of employment for the future. “
The Reaching Communities programme awards up to £500,000 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: 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
- 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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