WIREDGOV

Projects in Wales supporting socially isolated older people, raising awareness of LGBT concerns, and addressing discrimination in the private renting sector are among the latest being awarded National Lottery money.

Golden-Oldies will use £249,458 address isolation and loneliness amongst older people, especially those with physical, learning disabilities or health issues by developing new singing sessions across West and Mid Wales. It will also deliver its successful ‘Time after Time’ (Tro ar ôl Tro) intergenerational project to schools.

They are one of 13 projects across Wales sharing in £4,221,120 as part of the latest round of People and Places funding. (For a full list of awards, click here).

The awards are made possible thanks to money being set aside for good causes from National Lottery ticket sales.

Sir Cliff Richard, Patron of the Goldies Cymru Charity, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this major grant from the Big Lottery Fund in Wales”.

Golden-Oldies founder, Grenville Jones, added: “This underlines the progress and commitment that has been given to Goldies Cymru and our increasing number of daytime singing and activity sessions in Wales.

“The grant will enable Goldies Cymru to now develop across Mid and West Wales in the next three years with new sessions, new school intergenerational programmes and many other special events engaging with older vulnerable people”.

Elsewhere, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) receive £500,000 to deliver their Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff project that will improve the physical and emotional health and well-being of participants by providing opportunities to become engaged in nature and spend more time in local green spaces.

Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff Project Manager, Carolyn Robertson, said: “Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund, we’re delighted that we can now enable even more families across the city to discover the wildlife on their doorstep - inspiring them to take action to not only support nature but to treasure it for years to come.

“We now know that sadly, only one child in every eight in Wales is reasonably connected with the natural environment and one in every 14 species in Wales is facing extinction. This, without question, is cause to continue the vital work achieved through Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff.”

Across South Wales, Cardiff Wales Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Mardi Gras (Pride Cymru) will use £234,960 to provide structured opportunities to increase the visibility, confidence and resilience of LGBT+ people (particularly those under 25 and over 50) across South Wales through positive interaction with the wider community and to improve the wider Welsh community’s understanding of LGBT+ concerns.

Steven Griffiths, beneficiary of Pride Cymru, and LGBT Ambassador for Carers Wales, said: "When I became a carer in 2010 I had no idea how big an impact it would have on my life. It's common knowledge that carers feel socially isolated, lose friends and suffer depression, and I experienced all of that with the added complication that I am gay. I had to live with my parents to provide the care they needed, and although they knew I was gay there's a huge gap between knowledge and understanding.

“The opportunity to help others and become Carers Wales LGBT Ambassador was too good to turn down and it's one of the best decisions I've made. It made me realise that I'm not alone and it's given me the confidence to express my sexual identity openly.

“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Carers Wales and Pride Cymru for taking this initiative and I'm so glad that I've been able to meet with and offer support to LGBT carers who often seem to live lives of quiet desperation."

Tai Pawb in Cardiff receive £249,425 to provide tenants from minority groups, landlords and letting agents in the Private Rented Sector with the knowledge, skills and confidence to reduce discrimination and mistreatment in the sector. They will also test various methods of engagement with "difficult to reach" communities and pass that knowledge on to local authorities and other stakeholders via an engagement guide. 

Welcoming the grant, Alicja Zalesinska, Director of Tai Pawb, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the People and Places grant. It will not only enable us to support and empower some of the most vulnerable private sector tenants dealing with difficult housing issues but also guide and raise awareness amongst landlords who house them in times of unprecedented housing pressures, rising inequality and poverty.

“We will achieve this through a mix of innovative training, awareness raising, support, advice and guidance.  We will also test various methods of engagement with the so called ‘hard to reach’ groups and share learning with the wider sector. 
 
“Our research showed that many private rented sector tenants encountered problems living in the sector, which may be related to their protected characteristic, but many did not tell their landlords or know where to access support. On the other hand, overwhelming majority of landlords we spoke to wanted additional support on equality issues. That’s why it was so important for us to develop something that will work with both groups, empowering them to act to prevent discrimination and mistreatment in the sector.

Douglas Haig, Vice-Chairman and Director for Wales of Residential Landlords Association, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to support the diversity of the private rented sector and its ability to house those with a range of diverse and complex needs.  We are delighted to be able to work in partnership with Tai Pawb and the Big Lottery Fund and raise awareness of some of the issues that can be faced by those that they support and how small changes and a little bit of education of landlords and tenants can create long term sustainable tenancies. I believe it will further show how the private rented sector is helping house a huge range of needs in safe and secure homes.

In North Wales, The Reader Organisation receive £440,766 to deliver shared reading sessions in one to one and group settings for the benefit of people with mental health issues, targeting those who are most isolated in Gwynedd, Conwy and Anglesey. The project will benefit 856 individuals and 133 volunteers.

Welcoming the grant, The Reader’s Founder and Director, Jane Davis said: “We are thrilled to receive a Big Lottery Fund grant for our Feel Better with a Book project in North Wales. This funding will help us build on the brilliant work our team of dedicated volunteers achieved during our previous Big Lottery Fund project and secure a sustainable future for Shared Reading in the area.
 
“This project will make a real difference to people living with mental health issues and help us reach and support some of the most vulnerable and isolated people across Gwynedd, Conwy and Anglesey.”

Highlighting the importance of the People and Places programme, Rona Aldrich, Wales Committee Member for the Big Lottery Fund, 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 National Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities, tackle disadvantage head on and leave a lasting legacy.”

The 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 programme and how you can apply for funding, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/wales

Further Information:

Alexander Davies - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 029 2067 8236
Public Enquiries Line: 0845 4 10 20 30                           Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow Big Lottery Fund Wales on Twitter: www.twitter.com/biglotterywales
Find Big Lottery Fund Wales on Facebook: www.facebook.com/biglotteryfundwales

• 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 £6.5 billion 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 500,000 grants awarded.