- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Healthy Families Childs Play
- Release date:
- 18 12 2007
Christmas has come early for children across Wales following the announcement by the Big Lottery Fund today of a £2 million Lottery cash injection, to develop new play opportunities for children across the country.
Nine projects throughout Wales are benefiting from the £2,213,390 cash roll out, awarded under the £13 million ‘Child’s Play’ strand of the Big Lottery Fund’s (BIG) £20 million Healthy Families programme. All the projects aim to meet the programme priorities by building on the infrastructure that supports the development of children’s play in Wales and creating new play initiatives and facilities in each area.
The Healthy Families programme was developed in the wake of extensive consultations and was unveiled at a special conference organised by BIG in Cardiff last year. The programme will promote a holistic approach to dealing with obesity, and initiatives funded under the Child’s Play strand will make this a reality.
Commenting on the positive impact the awards will have on children and their families in communities throughout Wales, Chair of the Healthy Families Committee, Graham Benfield, said: “These projects will identify specific areas that need to be addressed within children’s play in Wales, by developing priorities and building or developing new infrastructures to deliver new and exciting play opportunities. We must take action to preserve the health of the next generation and encourage children to lead healthier and more active lives. I’m sure these projects will do just that.”
BIG is working closely with Play Wales, the national organisation and champion for children's play, to support applicants and distribute the money available.
The Director of Play Wales, Mike Greenaway, commented: “Play Wales is very happy to share the good news for the successful applicants to round one of the Child’s Play programme. This award represents a big achievement and the result of much hard work, negotiation and planning from groups across Wales. We look forward to supporting successful applicants to make the most of the funding and we are confident that in the future this will bring great play benefits for the children of Wales.”
For further information on the Healthy Families - Child’s Play programme please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and use the search facility.
Interview, Photo and Filming Opportunities: Representatives of the Big Lottery Fund and Play Wales are available for interview, filming and photo opportunities. To organise any of the above, please contact the Big Lottery Fund press office on the numbers at the end of the release.
Full list of projects:
| Organisation | Location | Amount Awarded |
| Re-Create Ail-Greu The Cardiff Play Resource Centre | Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan | £246,523 |
| Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services | Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire | £250,000 |
| RAY Ceredigion | Ceredigion | £249,831 |
| RCT Play Association | Rhondda Cynon Taff and Bridgend | £250,000 |
| Play Right/Chwarae Iawn | Swansea and Neath Port Talbot | £249,859 |
| Merthyr Tydfil Play Forum | Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly | £220,300 |
| Conwy County Borough Council | Ynys Mon, Gwynedd and Conwy | £246,974 |
| Torfaen Voluntary Alliance | Torfaen, Newport and Monmouthshire | £249,903 |
| Flintshire County Council | Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham | £250,000 |
Further 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 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 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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