WIREDGOV

The Big Lottery Fund has been helping organisations across the UK since June 2004 to get the most out of Lottery funding. £6 billion has now been awarded to make a real difference to community groups and projects.

In England, the Fund’s Reaching Communities award programme has also reached a significant milestone this month with awards now over £1 billion. Almost 4,000 projects have been supported over the past decade.

Peter Ainsworth, Big Lottery Fund Chair said: “At the very core of our funding has been the passion and commitment by organisations of all sizes to use Lottery funding effectively and creatively to make a real difference to people and communities most in need. Over the past ten years we have awarded close to £6 billion to projects large and small.

“It has been great to see small projects grow and thrive. For example, ten years ago we funded ‘A Way Out’ with £5,000 through Awards For All to support vulnerable women on Teeside. More recently the Fund has awarded them nearly £300,000 to continue their excellent work.

“We have reached these two milestones at an exciting time as we seek views on our future funding. Your Voice Our Vision will inform our plans for the future.”

Today 75 Reaching Communities projects share in over £22 million to help communities and projects most in need.

One such project receives £499,948 as Reaching Communities marks its £1billion milestone is Adoption Activity Days run by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). It has been looking at new ways to increase the number of harder to place children who are in care in England where all other forms of finding a family have not worked.  In 2011, it piloted Adoption Activity Days in the West Midlands which will now be expanded across England with the aim of benefiting 1,500 children through a series of ten events for the next three years, leading to the adoption of around 300 more children.

BAAF has discovered through the pilots that children are able to socialise with other children in a similar situation whilst discovering that not all adults are ‘scary’.

When the children arrive at the venue they have a range of activities to choose from including craft work and soft play through to den building, a zip wire and boat paddling. The activities provide a more relaxed way to meet and interact with prospective adopters. Each event concludes with a buffet, magic show or storytelling plus party bags for the children.

Diane Gault, Director of Fundraising and External Communications, British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) said: “The British Association for Adoption & Fostering is delighted to have such generous and significant support from the Big Lottery Fund. Having worked to develop and pilot Adoption Activity Days in order to find new families for children waiting to be adopted, we know this model works and that it is helping more children to find their forever families. The Big Lottery Fund’s support will enable us to run this project across England, ensuring that hundreds of children get the family they deserve.”

Last year the most common Reaching Communities request was for projects focusing on health and wellbeing followed by advice, advocacy, support, education, training and isolation/exclusion.

Organisations have until July 2014 to get involved with the future of Big Lottery funding through Your Voice Our Vision at www.yourvoiceourvisions.org.uk

A full list of the Reaching Communities awards made today is available here

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500572
Website:www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter:@biglotteryfund #biglf
Facebook:www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund

Notes to editors

• The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.
• In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was returned to the Good Causes. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £31 billion has been raised and more than 400,000 grants awarded.