- Area:
- Yorkshire and the Humber
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 30 1 2007
Big Lottery funding to the tune of £488,788 helps an allotment-based training project to grow as it shares close to £1.5million in grants with four other Yorkshire and Humber groups today.
The money comes from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, today awarding over £10.2 million across England to support initiatives that build strong communities and offer people better chances in life.
The grant to Bransholme Green Enterprise & Training Development Company Limited in Hull will expand the Champions Allotment Project to offer informal training sessions in life skills, health awareness, healthy eating and basic gardening skills for those at risk of social exclusion such as physically disabled people, mental health groups, people on incapacity benefits or the long-term unemployed. The project, based at Bransholme Ecological Learning, Training and Education Resource Centre (BELTER) will provide the opportunity for groups to gain accredited qualifications in subjects such as environment, health and safety to improve their training and employment opportunities.
Sam Linton, Enterprise Manager said: “The grant awarded from The Big Lottery Fund means we can develop the centre. We now have a fantastic opportunity to expand a range of land-based training activities for both young people and adults. It will allow us to assist hundreds of people from the local community to increase their life chances and their employment prospects. Reaching Communities will help us make a real difference to people in our local area!”
The SYMPSONS, (Sheffield Youth Mentoring and Personal Support Scheme) continues to promote the importance of independence for young disabled people as it receives £168,158 for an innovative project which targets disabled youngsters with the highest support needs, many of whom cannot communicate using conventional language.
Launched by Inclusive Living Sheffield (ILS), the project will expand and improve a successful pilot scheme, which helps disadvantaged young people to develop their own service by learning the skills they need to become more independent and take more control over their lives. These young people will play a major role in training support workers, who in return, will help them take part in activities, such as cinema trips, eating out, attending pop concerts and football games, giving many their first opportunity for independence from their families.
ILS member Dr Christine Barton said: " ILS is both stunned and delighted by this Big Lottery Fund grant. It is only once in a lifetime that something this good happens. It is also a tremendous responsibility to make sure that the money is spent wisely to benefit the most disadvantaged disabled young people in Sheffield. We will now be able to support them in reaching their potential and achieving their right to an independent life.”
Providing a free, confidential, independent and impartial service, North East Doncaster Citizens Advice Bureau today receives £437,867 to expand its crucial project that gives hope and guidance to people in financial difficulty from the whole of the North East of Doncaster where there is no other debt service available. The Tackling Community Debt project will offer appointments each weekday for general debt advice in addition to the current telephone helpline and drop in advice services. The service will also provide benefit entitlement checks and cater for those with special needs through visits to homes and nursing establishments.
Bureau Manager, Karen Bothamley said: “As the Bureau is a charity we are reliant upon fundraising to provide even basic services to our clients. We receive no statutory funding for provision of debt services so this Big Lottery Fund grant is essential. The money will allow us to employ debt specialists for the next four years, over which time they will see a minimum of 720 clients plus approximately 360 dependants and handle in the region of £6 million of debt.“
Organisations also receiving awards today are RASA in Wakefield with £319,159 to increase much needed community centre activity project, and £84,101 to Cudworth and West Green Community Partnership for a project to provide advice on financial matters to disadvantaged people in the community.
Big Lottery Fund Head of Yorkshire and Humber Vanessa White says: “It’s great to see such vital projects providing life skills, healthy activities, advice and mentoring support across Yorkshire and Humber, which are striving to uphold people’s quality of life. With additional financial help from Reaching Communities, they can now achieve so much more.”
Further information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 08456 021 659
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.
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