- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- People and Places
- Release date:
- 25 3 2009
Former All Blacks rugby international, Xavier Rush, will be joined by his fellow Cardiff Blues Rugby Club teammates tomorrow for the launch of the new Show Racism the Red Card poster.
On Thursday 26th of March 2009 at 2.00pm at the Cardiff Arms Park, school children from St John Lloyd, Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Marlborough Primary Schools will get an opportunity to ask questions on racism to the panel that will include players Xavier Rush, Dafydd Hewitt and Mark Lewis from the Blues. It will be the first time an event will be held with the club and will see school children from the area discussing racism openly with the players (The media are welcome at the event. See end of release for picture, interview and filming opportunities).
The Show Racism the Red Card project in Wales received £161,328 under the Big Lottery Fund’s (BIG) People and Places programme, which aims to bring people together to make communities stronger and to improve rural and urban environments.
The money is being spent on a project to expand and build on the existing work of the organisation across the whole of Wales by delivering anti-racism workshops, competitions and awareness raising activities to young people through the medium of sport.
By encouraging young people to enter school competitions, take part in sporting activities and working with sports stars, the project helps get the message across that racism is unacceptable and helps tackle social exclusion and build social cohesion. The aim is to increase the number of young people from BME communities to participate in sports, as well as improving the health of young people. By working with sports clubs, it also supports young people who want to take part in coaching courses.
Sunil Patel from Show Racism the Red Card, said: “The continual support from the Blues and other clubs in Wales constantly delivers the message that racism is not acceptable in sport and in society. We must maintain our united approach to tackle racism and drive it out of society.”
He added: “This grant by the Big Lottery Fund is making a massive difference to our organisation in Wales, allowing us to reach thousands more people with our anti-racist message. It is the largest grant our Welsh organisation has ever had and allows us to really build on the great work we have already done in Wales.“
Highlighting the importance of the People and Places programme, 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. It delivers on our promise to use Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities, tackle disadvantage head on and leave a lasting legacy. This project is having a positive impact on the lives of many people in the community and will continue to do so for years to come."
During the season, other clubs will also be holding events and working with the campaign towards ‘Showing Racism the Red Card’.
For further information: contact Sunil Patel on 07989 191788.
The £66 million People and Places programme awards grants of between £5,001 and £1 million for a broad range of community projects. 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. You can also click here.
Further Information
Big Lottery Fund Media Relations Officer – Oswyn Hughes: 02920 678 207
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
Picture, filming and interview opportunities:
Event: Launch of the Show Racism the Red Card poster with the Cardiff Blues team.
Date and time: 13:50pm Thursday March 26, 2009
Location: Cardiff Arms Park
Photocall/ Filming: The players and representatives from Show Racism the Red Card and the BIG Lottery Fund will be available for filming, interviewing and photographic opportunities during and following the event. Commissioned photos of the launch are also available on request from the Big Lottery Fund press office- free of charge.
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 £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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