- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- Investing In Communities
- Release date:
- 12 7 2010
A church, swimming pool and circus skills group are among those celebrating today after being awarded more than £3.6 million to help regenerate their areas. Some £3,699,686 has been awarded to five groups through the Community Asset Transfer Programme (CAT) – a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The programme aims to provide both capital and revenue funding to support the transfer of assets, such as land and buildings, from public sector organisations to community ownership.
The Towy Community Church Trust in Carmarthenshire was bowled over after hearing they had received £798,202. Money will be used to build a bowling alley on the former St Ivel cheese packing plant in Carmarthen. Under its first phase of development, the alley will also include a food bank, giving food parcels to needy families, and also a furniture recycling facility. Future development will see the creation of a cafe and conference centre.
Trust spokeswoman Lynne Collinson said: “It’s fantastic news and means we can meet our community’s need for a top quality leisure facility which will also fund projects to help people suffering hardship in these difficult economic times.
“The support that we’ve had from local people and Carmarthenshire Council has been tremendous but without this major funding from the Big Lottery Fund and the Welsh Assembly Government we would have not been able to go ahead.”
Nofit State Community Circus Ltd in Cardiff has been awarded £774,638 to transform school rooms attached to the Trinity Methodist Church in Adamstown into a centre for community circus education and training.
Currently based in Ebenezer Chapel in Charles Street, Cardiff, the group aims to make the new building a centre for professional circus training. It will use the cash to increase the number of weekly workshops and double the number of master classes, training sessions and school holiday projects. It estimates that the number of people benefitting will increase from 17,000 a year to 36,400. Space will also be reserved for three other community groups.
The circus group’s Executive Director Alison Woods said: “We’re absolutely delighted. It will mean we can create a dedicated new home for the circus community in Cardiff and enable hundred more local people to join us and become part of the Nofit State family.”
Some £800,000 has made a big splash in Gwynedd where Harlech and Ardudwy Leisure will use the cash to run Harlech swimming pool. Local people submitted a business plan to run the closure threatened pool as a community trust. Local residents, schools, swimming clubs all use the pool and there are plans for a cafe and climbing wall.
Menter Mon Cyf in Anglesey will use £594,875 to support the transfer of Llangefni Town Hall from the local county council. Built in 1841, the hall will be transformed into new offices for up to six organisations, event and exhibition space and seminar and meeting rooms. Other features will include areas for community activities and social enterprise and a music studio for youngsters.
Finally, Groundwork Caerphilly has been awarded £731,971 to takeover Ty Mynyddislwyn from the local council and run activities including employment and training advice, environmental volunteering and the promotion of sustainability. Local craft enterprises are also set to benefit.
Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Carl Sargeant said: “These projects demonstrate the potential to regenerate disused land and buildings and breathe new life into community facilities.
“There are many public assets in Wales that are not being used to their full potential. The Community Asset Transfer Programme is now empowering communities to use these buildings and land to suit their needs.”
Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member and Chairman of the CAT Committee, Mike Theodoulou, added: “The programme is already helping Welsh communities become stronger and more sustainable by assisting them to obtain and develop assets. This has wide ranging benefits for local people including the generation of income and employment.”
Groups can still apply for funding through the programme. For more information visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk, call 029 2067 8200, textphone 0845 602 1659 or email cat@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Further Information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office – Ben Payne: 02920 678
Out of hours contact: 07760171431
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:
- The Community Asset Transfer programme promotes the transfer of public sector assets at significantly below market value via freehold or leasehold transfer arrangements. This round of funding gives community groups the equivalent of £1.7million so that they can create thriving social enterprises that address local community needs.
- In Wales, the Big Lottery Fund is rolling out close to £1 million a week in Lottery good cause money, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across Wales 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. It was 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 £23 billion has now been raised and more than 317,500 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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