- Area:
- South East England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 14 4 2009
Worthing children, young people and families can repair bikes, learn gardening and get educational support from a project made possible by a Big Lottery Fund grant announced today.
The grant of £420,186 is awarded by BIG as part of the Reaching Communities programme, which aims to help those most in need and build stronger communities.
Worthing Homes Limited will use the award to fund Mick's Garage Community House for the next five years. The project offers practical, creative and accessible activities, support and information for children and young people with a bike recycling and repairing scheme, one-to-one educational support and afterschool clubs in arts, homework, gardening and IT. Parents can participate in many of the activities as well as ESOL, training and coffee mornings.
The holiday programme includes fishing, countryside trips, horse riding, swimming, bowling and even pantomime. By taking part in the project residents can increase their confidence and self-esteem, improve parenting skills, reduce anti-social behaviour and increase community cohesion.
Nicky Fiondella, Housing Manager, Worthing Homes Ltd, said: “Worthing Homes is delighted with the grant offer from the Big Lottery Fund. This will enable us to expand the project with our partners Spurgeons and offer a wider range of key services to satisfy local, regional and national strategies.
“Offering a safe, unique and informal base with increased holistic service provision will foster positive attitudes and a culture of respect. Increased access to training and development will give people better chances in life and improve their life skills. Through this it will help create a stronger and sustainable community where people want to live.”
This project provides for children, young people and families in the Worthing area. It is expanding to meet the needs of more residents and build further links with statutory agencies.
Alison Rowe, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the South East, said: “This project is an excellent example of how the Reaching Communities programme is enabling local organisations to provide huge benefits for residents throughout the Worthing area. Mick's Garage Community House is a great local resource that provides a range of activities and contributes to improving the quality of life for many young people and their families.”
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
- Under Reaching Communities, the Big Lottery Fund awards grants between £10,000 and £500,000 to projects that offer people better life chances, build stronger communities, develop improved rural and urban environments and improve health and well being.
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half 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. 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 £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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