Lottery funding ‘Reaching Out’ to South Wales youngsters

Area:

Wales

Programme:

Young People's Fund Reaching Out

Release date:

15 8 2007

Young people across South Wales are rejoicing following the news that they are set to benefit from a grand total of £1,241,737, awarded to a range of projects through BIG’s Young People’s Fund. Five projects will benefit from money awarded under the £6.2 million ‘Reaching Out’ programme, which aims to support disengaged young people in Wales, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.

Projects that envelop the counties of Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Swansea share in the awards. The money will be spent on a broad range of initiatives that will aid young people from different backgrounds, cultures and abilities.

Highlighting the importance of the Reaching Out programme, Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee member and Chair of the Young People’s Fund Committee, Mike Theodoulou, said: “BIG has been very active in supporting young people in Wales over the years and I have no doubt that the projects we have funded today will have wide-reaching benefits for hundreds of young people from various communities and backgrounds in South Wales.”

An award of £248,914 will allow the Ethnic Youth Support Team in Swansea to run a project that aims to increase community safety and cohesion for ethnic minority young males. This will be achieved through a partnership programme of work placements for individuals and cultural awareness training for participating agencies.  

Around 160 young people with disabilities living in Rhondda Cynon Taff will also reap the benefits. They will have supported opportunities to access a range of mainstream sports and leisure activities thanks to a grant of £211,324 awarded to The Viva Project. The aim of the project is to improve the confidence and self esteem of disabled youngsters and help them to integrate into their own communities.

Safer Wales Ltd in Cardiff will spend their award of nearly £300,000 on a project to develop the Riverside Warehouse as a youth provision to serve young people in Riverside, Grangetown and Canton. Activities will include a range of social, sporting, cultural, artistic and community opportunities to promote community cohesion, social integration, teamwork and increase esteem and confidence. There will also be advice and information sessions for young people and Somali and Bangladeshi Homework clubs. The project was also a lucky winner back in November 2006, when it won £50,000 through the Big Lottery Fund and ITV People’s Millions competition. The money was spent on refurbishing the disused building in Riverside.

Young carers, children and young people under 18 years who look after parents and other relatives will also benefit. With the £184,413, Barnardo’s will run a project to provide support to carers aged 10-19 in Carmarthenshire.

Finally, a grant of £298,499 will allow Pembrokeshire County Council to run a multi-agency project to work with 150 young people aged 14-19. The project will use outdoor adventure activities, music and environmental projects to engage with the young people and will develop confidence, motivation, team working and other life skills through a range of programmes.  

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

For further information about the projects, and contact details for the groups and organisations involved, please contact the Big Lottery Fund press office on the numbers below.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 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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