Welsh youngsters make a big splash with 50k Lottery cash

Area:

Wales

Programme:

Young People's Fund Make it Happen

Release date:

2 4 2008

Twelve projects, developed by young people themselves, share in a total of £48,104 awarded through the Make it Happen strand of BIG’s Young People’s Fund. Make it Happen helps Welsh young people 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.

Surfs up for youngtsers in Anglesey, Conwy and the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, thanks to the £5,000 awarded to the newly formed Clwb Syrffio Cerrig group. The money will be spent on providing outdoor surfing activities and environmental workshops for young people from the rural areas. The cash will be splashed on new surfboards, wetsuits workshop fees and travel costs. Disabled young people in Gwynedd are also reaping the benefits thanks to the £3,073 awarded to Barnardo’s. The project will enable disabled young people to enjoy mainstream activities through participation in a weekend of outdoor activities and a trip to the cinema.

Youngsters with special needs in Bridgend and Powys also share in the awards. A grant of £2,673 to Techniquest in Cardiff Bay will enable 200 youngsters with special needs from Bridgend to visit the intercative centre for an activity day. The project will motivate and increase the personal development of young people with special needs and allow them to take part in three science challenge workshops.

With their £4,994 award, the Brynllywarch Hall Residential School in Newtown will provide games for 18 people with special needs and enable them to take part in a cycling proficiency course, undertake trips to an observatory, bowling, cinema and ice-skating.  

It’s playtime in Ceredigion as RAY Ceredigion will spend the £4,999 they received on a project to enable young people to undertake a research visit to open access play sites across Wales. Young people will take photographic and sound recording equipment to record their impressions and present back to their local community.

Young Carers and youngsters from ethnic minority communities reap the rewards in Newport. With the £2,980 they received, Barnardo's will enable 50 young carers from Newport to have a well deserved break. The young carers will literally be taking a walk on the wild side when they visit Drayton Manor safari and theme park.  The project aims to help them to build on their social skills, independence and make links with young carers in Newport County who share the same experiences and issues. An award of £3,170 to Anondho Dhara Newport will enable youngsters from black and ethnic minority  communities to take part in a three-day programme of outdoor activities.

Young farmers in Pembrokeshire will be swapping their wellies and the great outdoors for the political corridors of Westminster, thanks to the £1,597 awarded to the Pembrokeshire Federation Of Young Farmers Clubs. The project will enable 40 young farmers to undertake a visit to the House of Commons in London, to learn about the democratic process in this country. With a £4,991 grant, the Tanyard Youth Project Limited in Pembroke will provide a youth cafe at the Tanyard Youth Project. The cafe will be run by young people and the project will provide workshops around healthy eating and cooking on a budget. The project will also enable young people to gain a qualification in food hygiene. The grant will contribute to the costs of a new kitchen, electrical and gas works, fitting of kitchen, small items of equipment and basic food hygiene training.

Two projects in Rhondda Cynon Taff will also benefit from the awards. With the £4,973 they received the Rhondda Cynon Taff People First organisation will set up a youth club to bring young people from different experiences and backgrounds together. An award of £4,654 will enable the Community Mediation Services (CMS) Rhondda Cynon Taff organisation to set up peer mediation schemes within five secondary schools in the County. Peer mediation is a voluntary process during which pairs of pupils act as mediators for their peer group.

And it’s lights, camera, action for youths in Swansea. With the £5,000 awarded to Barnardo's, youngsters in Swansea will produce a short film looking at the issues of homelessness and living alone from a young persons perspective.

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: “These 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.”

Further Information

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 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

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.