WIREDGOV

Communities in Wales are set to benefit from over £600,000 of National Lottery money to support grassroots projects in their areas.

148 community projects across Wales receive a share of £608,427 under the latest round of the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All small-grants programme. See a full list of project descriptions

Among them are Aberconwy Mind in Conwy who will use £4,828 to run a series of courses and workshops on mindfulness to younger people in the area experiencing difficulties with anxiety.

Welcoming the grant, Acting Director of Aberconwy Mind, Julie Pierce said: “Receiving this grant will allow us to run Mindfulness workshops for young people who are coping with anxiety and who find it difficult to engage or move forward with their lives. The Mindfulness approach will provide young people in our communities a tool to help them develop resilience, a healthy lifestyle, insight and empathy”.

Elsewhere in North Wales Cymru PRIDE Wales in Gwynedd receive £4,542 to hold their North Wales Pride event in Bangor, and in Wrexham, North Wales Science will use £4,849 to create a science garden promoting biodiversity, recycling and sustainability to the community.

Across Wales, PBC Foundation (UK) Ltd will use £4,541 to provide self-management workshops in small communities for people living with Primary Biliary Cholangitis – a long-term, auto-immune condition that affects the liver.

In South Wales, Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff receive £5,000 to run a community festival celebrating Roald Dahl’s centenary, and in Swansea, Swansea Carer’s Centre will use £4,494 to pilot a six-week taster session to encourage up to 20 carers of children and young people with disabilities to join their choir.

Welcoming the award, Elaina Johnson, Development Director at Chapter Arts Centre, said: “The funding from Awards for All has allowed Chapter to run the Art Car Bootique, a unique event which saw over 12,000 members of the community come to the Centre in just one day. Throughout the day a range of family friendly events were held including face painting, drawing workshops and planting sessions in the community gardens, and over 30 local arts and craft suppliers sold goods and 10 local food outlets attended.

“Coupled with live music and a barbeque the event was a fantastic success in opening Chapter up to the whole community and could not have been held without the funding through Awards for All. From everyone at Chapter, and from our local community, a massive thank you!”

In West Wales, Llandovery Motorcycle Weekend in Carmarthenshire receive £3,880 to deliver a series of workshops, activities and events based around motorbikes to raise driver awareness and safety, while encouraging trade and tourism in the area.

Elsewhere, in Aberystwyth, All-In Swimming Club will use £2,408 to run swimming lessons and water-based taster sessions for people with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Gareth Williams, Awards for All Programme Manager for the Big Lottery Fund in Wales, said: “Awards for All is having a positive impact throughout Wales.

“Money is helping to establish groups, societies and clubs, promoting learning, increasing volunteering opportunities and helping to build stronger communities.”

Available in English and Welsh, application forms are available to download from www.awardsforall.org.uk or by phone on 0845 4 10 20 30.

Further Information:

Alex Davies - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 029 2067 8236
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/biglotterywales
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/biglotteryfundwales

Notes to Editors:

• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.