- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Young People's Fund Make it Happen
- Release date:
- 6 12 2007
Homeless youngsters in South Wales will have a chance to learn new skills and young carers will produce a special film to highlight the challenges they face, thanks to a cash injection of over £40,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.
Ten projects developed by young people themselves share in a total of £40,817 awarded through the Make it Happen strand of the Young People’s Fund. Make it Happen helps Welsh young people aged 10–19 years old make positive changes to their lives.
The money will help provide activities for youngsters from a range of different backgrounds. The projects aim to enable youngsters to develop their skills, express themselves in new and creative ways and provide opportunities that many would otherwise be unable to enjoy.
Three projects in Newport, South East Wales, share in a total of over £14,000 awarded in the county. One of the projects, the Solas Cymru hostel for the homeless in Newport, will spend £5,000 on providing activities for homeless young people outside of the hostel environment. Activities will include quad biking, horse riding, rock climbing, archery and workshops covering topics such as sexual health and nutrition/healthy eating. Meanwhile youngsters at the Ringland Community Association Ltd organisation will splash their award of £4,999 on sports and activities programme for young people. It’s all about relaxing for youngsters at the St Julians Sport and Activity Community Group. They will use their £4,136 on creating a chill out and information area at a local community centre which will enable young people to access information, learn new skills or simply get off the streets.
Youngsters aged between 14 and 19 with learning disabilities in Bridgend will be able to participate in sport and leisure activities thanks to an award of £4,916 to the Every Link Counts organisation. In the Welsh capital, Cardiff, serving up healthy dishes is on the menu for Barnardo’s. Their award of £2,630 will improve kitchen facilities in the communal area of their supported housing project, to enable young parents to develop skills in healthy cooking.
It’s lights camera action for Pembrokeshire Mind, as youngsters at the project plan to spend their £5,000 on producing a film relating to their issues and lives. Youngters with autism in Pembrokeshire also reap the benefits. The Friends of Pembroke School Association will use their £1,750 to provide woodland skills training workshops for young people with varying levels of autism.
The big stage and the big smoke beckon Young Farmers Clubs in Powys. With the £3,816 they received, Builth Wells Young Farmers Club will enable young people to hold dance classes with a trained dance instructor in order to gain a skills for life qualification, a theatre make-up class, a costume making workshop, and a visit to London to enjoy a professional theatre production.
Erwood Young Farmers Club will also be spending their award of £5,000 on a team-building project, which will include a trip to London to visit the museums and see a Westend musical. The members will also stay in a bunkhouse in North Wales for three nights, visit Chester Zoo, visit King Arthur's Labyrinth, go horse riding, swimming and take a trip on a steam train.
It’s history and heritage that take centre stage in Rhondda Cynon Taff as youngsters working with Anvil Trust Tonyrefail Ltd commemorate the sacrifices of those who fought and died in WWI. The project will spend £3,570 to research local history and host a heritage-based weekend of activities around the ‘Great War’.
Highlighting the importance of the Make it Happen programme, the Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee member and Chair of the Young People’s Fund Committee, Mike Theodoulou, said: “The projects will provide youngsters with an opportunity to learn valuable new lessons, be creative, develop new and exciting skills and express themselves in a safe environment. This is a prime example of how small amounts of money can make a big difference, by helping groups to develop a range of skills and take part in a variety of activities.”
For further information about the projects, and contact details for the groups and organisations involved, please contact the Big Lottery Fund Wales press office by email or on the numbers below.
For further information about the Big Lottery Fund and how your group can apply for funding, log onto the Big Lottery Fund website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and use the ‘Wales’ specific search facility. Alternatively, you can telephone the Big Lottery Fund office on 01686 611 700.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760171431
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 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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