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Lottery support for families of missing people

Missing People Limited, the UK charity that works with young runaways, missing and unidentified people and their families is one of two national charities benefiting today from a share of grants totalling £598,085 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme. In total, 44 organisations across England today share in £11,813,094. 

Missing People receives £499,349 to help them continue providing the specialised support they offer to those who go missing and those left behind.

The charity offers a free telephone and text lifeline to the 250,000 people who run away and go missing in the UK every year. Staff and volunteers listen in confidence, and support missing people and their families to explore their options and where possible reconnect them. The service is for everyone; young people under 18 who are thinking of running away or have already gone missing and adults of all ages who are missing. For those left behind they provide specialised support to ease the heartache and confusion and help search for their missing loved ones.

People become missing in a wide range of circumstances. They may have had an accident, become a victim of crime (assault, abduction, exploitation or trafficking) or become unwell or disorientated. They may have intentionally left home after an argument or as the result of a relationship breakdown, work or money worries or mental ill-health.

Whatever the circumstances, a person goes missing every two minutes in the UK and around two thirds are children.

Missing People’s Family Support Programme, which was launched with help from a Big Lottery Fund grant in 2011, provides a range of emotional and practical support including an online family forum, family support days, an annual Miles for Missing People 10k run and a Christmas Carol Service, giving families the chance to share their stories and most importantly to meet other people who have experienced the same.

The organisation describes itself as a charity with a big heart and a big aspiration, and with its new Big Lottery Fund grant plans to extend its lifeline over the next few years in a number of ways. It will increase its volunteer team in local communities across the UK and work with police partners and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to reach more missing people and support the delivery of child rescue alerts. It also plans to host the first conference for families and work with charity partners including the Samaritans to reach out to missing and suicidal adults.

The grant will also help Missing People develop partnerships and referral routes with complementary organisations such as Cruse, Relate, Support after Murder and Manslaughter and Survivors’ of Bereavement by Suicide. 

Jo Youle, CEO Missing People said: “The families we support are living in limbo, unable to move on with life as they wait desperately for news of their missing loved one.

“Support from the Big Lottery Fund for Missing People means we have been able to pilot an expanded range of services for these families, in addition to our free 24-hour helpline. Now, with the Big Lottery Fund’s continuing support, we can continue to provide services such as counselling, online guidance, an online forum and a range of events designed around families’ needs.

“This is truly transformational, and we thank the Big Lottery Fund wholeheartedly for recognising the unique and devastating situation families of missing people find themselves in, and for enabling us to provide vital support services that can help people feel better able to cope.”

Hearing Link, the UK organisation for people with hearing loss and their families, also receives£98,736 in National Lottery funding today. The charity strives to provide people with hearing loss the knowledge, skills, confidence and contacts they need to participate fully in their world and to overcome the practical and emotional challenges of living with hearing loss.

It provides advice on local and national organisations and services, personalised emotional support to reduce isolation and help to the family of friends of those experiencing hearing loss to enable them to them understand its wider impact.

The grant will fund a project called Link Up England that offers a volunteer facilitated short programme to support people with hearing impairments and their families in effectively managing their hearing loss and re-engaging into society.

The project will run eight Link Up events to bring people with hearing loss together and help them to move on with their lives.  These events will reunite previous rehabilitation programme participants and will offer new beneficiaries immediate support and the opportunity to find out if they would benefit from the fuller rehabilitation programmes available from Hearing Link. 

Tim Davies-Pugh, Big Lottery Fund Deputy Director for England, said: “Reaching Communities funding helps people and communities most in need. The work done by both Missing People and Hearing Link quite literally rebuilds lives and today’s grants will enable them to help even more people.”

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

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
Channel website: https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/

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