- Area:
- South West England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 17 7 2012
A new project to prevent and reduce domestic abuse in Dorset is being launched thanks to a £290,024 grant from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).
Bournemouth Churches Housing Association will not only offer support to adults, particularly women, but will also provide help to children to overcome the traumatic experience.
Funding for the project comes from BIG’s flagship Reaching Communities programme which aims to help those most in need and build stronger communities. In total almost £1.05million is being shared by five projects in the region today.
Bournemouth Churches Housing Association will run its new project in Bournemouth, Poole and across Dorset, aiming to help more than 900 adults and 1,700 children over a four year period.
Amanda Goodenough, Head of Children, Young People and Families, said: “The funding from the Big Lottery Fund is critical to launching our new service. The rates of domestic abuse within the areas we will be working in are continuing to increase. One reason for this is because of the economic climate. We are seeing people losing their jobs, getting depressed and becoming dependent on or using high amounts of alcohol which affects their behaviour and leads to a vicious cycle. Another reason is that more people are becoming aware of the issue and are more likely to seek help.
“The key element of our work is going to be prevention. We’ll be working with children who have been victims of or witnesses to the abuse, to prevent them becoming victims or perpetrators in later life. We’ll also work with women to improve their understanding so they are less likely to put up with abusive relationships in the future.”
Meanwhile, a project supporting families in West Dorset has received £291,272 to extend services to families in Weymouth and Portland. Home-Start West Dorset will give children a better start in life by strengthening family relationships and offering support to parents in need.
They will achieve this by recruiting and training new volunteers who will make home visits to families in crisis. This will include helping with access to local services like libraries or medical centres and advice on managing a budget or coping with children.
The project will focus on families and lone parents experiencing social isolation, low income, a lack of confidence, mental health issues like post natal depression and unemployment resulting in a crisis or a struggle to meet family demands.
A grant of £245,810 has been given to All Saints Church Community Centre so that they can continue to offer a range of activities and opportunities to people in Camborne, Cornwall. Beneficiaries will include people who feel isolated and alienated in the community, specifically older people, people with mental health issues, disaffected young persons and local people with special needs.
The funding will continue the lunch club for older people, social club for people with mental health issues and disabilities, training courses like ICT, an art therapy group and youth club. The project will also run some events for young people and older people and offer more volunteering opportunities to increase people’s skills, confidence and employability.
Disabled adults with special needs in the Purbeck, Poole and Bournemouth areas of Dorset who are not in employment, education or training will benefit from a grant of £182,640. East Holton Charity will focus on those adults who are the most socially excluded with training and on the job learning opportunities to develop new skills and improve their job prospects.
They will learn environmental and horticultural skills at the EHC Holton Lee Centre including heathland restoration, habitat management, gardening, growing food, as well as office tasks like admin, fundraising and reception duties.
BIG has also awarded £39,993 to fund a pilot project to help people with mental health problems in Cornwall. Smart Savings South West CIC will help beneficiaries manage their money better through debt advice and literacy workshops.
Mark Cotton, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the South West, said: “Domestic abuse impacts not only on adults but also their children and even the next generation if behaviour becomes copied. Preventing this lasting damage is key, especially in areas where rates are increasing which is why it is important to fund work tackling this issue.
“Our Reaching Communities programme supports people most in need and we are very happy to be making these grants across the South West region 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 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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