- Area:
- West Midlands
- Programme:
- Awards for All England
- Release date:
- 27 3 2012
Workshops providing women affected by domestic abuse with recovery skills and access to peer support groups will be the focus of one Solihull project out of over 70 across the West Midlands receiving National Lottery funding today.
Beneficiaries at Make A Better Life Trust will share their experiences through discussion sessions, helping to improve their self-esteem and decrease isolation, thanks to a £9,140 Awards For All grant from Big Lottery Fund (BIG). In the long term, the project aims to provide separate services to men and train volunteers to sustain vital services.
Volunteer Grace Hampson said: “Approximately one in four women will experience or witness domestic abuse in their lifetime and one in six men so the importance of providing a service to people who are living or have lived in that situation is really vital. The opportunity to provide women with support groups through very, very difficult circumstances when I know the demand and need is there, is really exciting. Domestic abuse affects everyone across the borough, rich and poor, but is perhaps more hidden in more affluent areas.”
A total of 74 groups across the region are sharing over £635,000 from BIG’s Awards for All programme, with many of the projects using their grants to teach important life skills in order to promote independence, health and wellbeing.
In a similar vein, Step Back-To-Step Up Ltd will use their £9,950 grant to run empowering workshops for women exploring healthy relationships, with sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy being priority issues for the initiative; while Round Midnight Creative Arts Ltd in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, will provide communication and presentation training for unemployed women with their £9,600 grant, aiming to improve beneficiaries’ chances of securing employment while boosting self-confidence.
Hybrid Arts Ltd in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, will use their £9,960 funding to run a healthy lifestyle and self-awareness programme for girls, with discussions on sexual health, bullying, media perceptions of women and drug and alcohol awareness; Young in Wolverhampton Clubs will use their grant of £9,228 to provide life skills workshops to young people including debt management, healthy living, relationships and sexual health;
and Acacia Family Support in Sutton Coldfield will use their £10,000 grant to establish a drop-in centre for parents affected by pre or post-natal depression, providing practical and emotional support and information
The benefits of group exercise for young people are also celebrated in various projects. Town Junior School in Sutton Coldfield will spend their £9,595 funding on a basketball-focused fitness programme, encouraging a healthy lifestyle for both children and their parents. Erdington District Basketball Club will run basketball sessions for young people in Erdington, Birmingham with their £9,924 grant, alongside workshops centred on the prevention of anti-social behaviour. Wilson Stuart Active Society will spend their £9,861 grant on running basketball sessions for young people in Birmingham, with the aim of tackling the city’s obesity problem. According to recent figures, more than 37% of year sixchildren are overweight or obese. St Clements C of E (VA) Primary School in Worcester will run a Dynamic Movement Systems (DMS) programme of physical activities for children with their £9,928 grant, also aiming to tackle high levels of obesity in the area.
John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of West Midlands region, said: “It’s great to see this funding being channelled into our region today for a wide range of projects benefiting people from all walks of life. The innovative support work offered by Make A Better Life Trust in particular will go a long way in helping women affected by domestic abuse to improve their self-esteem and realise they are not alone.”
BIG’s Awards for All programme offers grants of between £300 and £10,000 to social and environmental projects that will benefit local communities and make a difference to the lives of those most in need. Voluntary and community groups, schools, health organisations and parish and town councils can all apply. Visit www.awardsforall.org.uk or phone 0845 410 20 30 for more information.
See a full list of awards announced in the West Midlands today
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