- Area:
- South East England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 14 2 2012
Pupils aged 14-16 from The Malling School will try their hand at running a radio station from a vibrant community centre in East Malling, Kent, which was this month awarded funding by the Big Lottery Fund.
St James Centre Trust received £297,176 from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, enabling it to host activities including accredited courses in literacy and numeracy, craft groups, a vegbox and allotment scheme, dance classes and weight loss sessions.
Run by The Beat Project, the initiative aims to improve levels of education, employment, health and aspiration in East Malling through its refurbished community centre and arts cafe, which will offer healthy meals. Work experience placements and apprenticeships will be offered to unemployed adults and young people alongside volunteers.
Miss Natasha Ausher, 21, from East Malling, got in with the wrong crowd at school and was expelled, before aimlessly drifting between jobs. But since she began volunteering with the St James Centre as an apprentice six months ago, she says it has changed her outlook completely and she now aspires to be a community worker.
She said: “It’s changed me completely as a person, the way I am, my personal life is a lot more settled - I come from a very disruptive childhood. I am a lot more career-minded now. Ultimately it would be amazing if I was able to stay with The Beat Project and St James Centre to work. I live in East Malling, it is a disadvantaged community. The work they have done already has changed the community. When you can see in front of you it’s changing, it’s very, very rewarding.
Mrs Angela Borsos, community development manager for The Beat Project at St James Centre, said: “Over the last two years we have transformed this building from a disused school into a thriving community hub. It sits in quite a disadvantaged part of the wider community. We are offering lots of opportunities here to develop new skills, through volunteering, apprenticeships or courses. The whole ethos is training to help people build their confidence and skills in addition to helping them into work or education.”
Fiona Dempsie, Big Lottery Fund Head of the South East region, said:
“It is extremely inspiring to hear Natasha’s story and I am sure this exciting project will continue to transform the lives of many people in and around East Malling. I look forward to seeing how Reaching Communities funding will support many more vital causes across the South East throughout 2012.”
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 46% 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 £27 billion has now been raised and more than 370,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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