Children and families are a centre of attention for People and Places in Powys

Area:

Wales

Programme:

People and Places

Release date:

2 5 2008

A total of £3,195,150 has been awarded to 16 projects throughout the country which all aim to bring people together to make communities stronger and to improve rural and urban environments.

Thanks to their award of £21,500, the Swansea and Brecon Diocesan Council for Social Responsibility will develop their plans to provide a dedicated resource centre for children and families in the historic market town of Brecon, mid- Wales. The St. John's Children and Family Resource Centre would be based at the Old St John’s Priory School adjacent to the St John’s ward, where problems include a high level of non-working households, child poverty and low levels of educational achievement.

If the plans go ahead, the Grade II listed building would be renovated and the new centre would be used for a playgroup, breakfast club and after-school club. Additional renovations would include the provision of a kitchen suitable for cookery sessions and shared family meals, area for parent and toddler sessions and a quiet area for the playgroup or parent training. The first floor area, with disabled access, would provide offices for staff and consulting rooms for use by health visitors and midwives etc.  Areas for supervised family contact sessions would also be available.

The new centre would provide training to develop confidence and life skills among people and issues around community safety and ant-social behaviour would be tackled through early intervention programmes. By building up social networks and encouraging peer support, the project would reduce isolation, particularly for families. The centre would also provide volunteering opportunities to encourage better communication between individuals of differing age groups and social and cultural backgrounds. The building would also provide an attractive venue for a range of community activities, in addition to its use as a Family Centre during the day.

Commenting on the positive impact the award will have, Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member and Chair of the People and Places Committee, Janet Reed, said: “Programmes like People and Places are making a difference to the lives of so many people in communities across Wales. The programme delivers on our promise to use Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities, tackle disadvantage head on and leave a lasting legacy. This award will allow the project to develop exciting plans that will have a positive impact on the lives of children and their families in the community.”

For further information about the People and Places programme and how you can apply for funding, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and use the ‘Wales’ specific search facility.

Contact information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office – Oswyn Hughes: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760 171 431
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

Notes to Editors:

• 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 £20 billion has now been raised and more than 250,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

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