A Cardiff teenager that had struggled with making his sexual orientation public is delighted with the news that Lottery money will be used to support young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in Wales.

Out and Proud, based in Cardiff, is a support group for young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people receives £4,920. They are one of 54 community projects across Wales receiving a share of £218,030 under the latest round of the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All small-grants programme. (Full project descriptions can be found here).

James Evans, a 14 year-old from Cardiff had struggled to tell anyone around him when he realised that he was gay. Unable to speak to his friends he started to feel more socially isolated because of his sexuality. It wasn’t until he discovered Out and Proud that he started to feel comfortable with telling people that he was gay.

Speaking of his experience, and welcoming the news James said: “Out and Proud has helped me so much. It’s a place where I can just be myself instead of pretending to be someone that I’m not. Before coming to the group I wasn’t able to tell many people about how I felt but since being part of it I’ve been able to open up and be proud of who I am.

“The grant meant that as a group we were able to go to Pride last month – it was my first time going and I had a great time; I felt so confident being a representative of our group, talking about it, and giving out information about it to the public.”

Speaking of the grant, Claire Tyler, group leader at Out and Proud said: “We were thrilled to receive the Awards for All grant. The award will, and already has, made a difference to the young people in our group.

“We were able to attend Pride and we hope to have new members and volunteers joining us. We have no other income and I pay for things out of my own money and wouldn’t have been able to pay for Pride without the grant. The group members are also able to continue to work on expressing their identity creatively through personal artwork.

“Ultimately the grant will enable us to raise the profile of the group and ensure that it becomes sustainable. We are committed to providing a safe environment for members to network with one another.”

In North Wales, Crest Co-operative Ltd in Llandudno will £2,465 to establish a community pop-up shop to repair furniture, white goods and clothes for disadvantaged communities, and Fforwm Anabledd Taran Cyf in Anglesey will use £4,960 to provide educational, cookery and fitness workshops for disadvantaged young adults in the area that will improve their health and wellbeing.

In Powys, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Limited will use £4,980 to improve access to their services by holding family-events promoting nature activities. Furthermore, Cylch Meithrin Aberhonddu in Brecon will use £4,050 to establish a group for parents, carers and their children that will promote and encourage the use sign-language to babies through the medium of Welsh using Makaton sign-language resources.

Speaking in receipt of the award, Chair of the group, Louise Grove-White said: “Cylch Chwarae Aberhonddu are delighted that The Big Lottery Fund Awards for All have funded our new initiative Dwylo Bach. This autumn we will be setting up a group based at Ysgol-Y-Bannau, run by our enthusiastic early years team, aimed at parents and carers and their babies and toddlers to promote the use of baby signing through the medium of Welsh.

“Signing in Welsh will provide a way of introducing the language to children, enabling them to begin to express their feelings, wishes and needs and to make sense of their world. As a Welsh medium nursery we are focused on providing every child with the opportunity for early success in their proficiency in Welsh and Dwylo Bach will a complimentary addition to the range of educational services we offer to two and three-year-olds.”

In South Wales, The Big Skill Community Interest Company in Monmouthshire will use £4,950 to engage with families, older and isolated people, and inspire young people to learn lifelong skills through promoting traditional and rural skills at the 2016 Eisteddfod. Furthermore, Tir Coed in Ceredigion will use £5,000 to engage with children in the area through developing forest school sessions that will enable them to participate in activities promoting nature.

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 fromwww.awardsforall.org.uk or by phone on 0845 4 10 20 30.

Further Information:

Ben Payne - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 01686 611 720
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, £33 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.