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More than £51 million from the Big Lottery Fund will be shared amongst voluntary sector organisations including projects across England supporting people with a brain tumour diagnosis and advice for parents with disabled children.

Today’s funding will support local organisations to help improve their local communities and the lives of people most in need.

Below are examples of some of the great projects receiving funding today. See a full list of today’s awards

Brainstrust based on the Isle of Wight has received £281,163 to support people affected by a brain tumour diagnosis in London, the Midlands and the South East, building on work in Sheffield and Glasgow. It will help people form self-sustaining communities to support one another at point of diagnosis and beyond. Trained volunteers will coach patients, families and carers to better understand illness and explore treatment options to give people better quality of life, reduce isolation and build stronger links between communities and health services.

Contact a Family based in London has received £418,637 to be able to continue providing one-to-one benefits advice for parents with disabled children via telephone and email. It will also provide guidance in print and online to de-mystify the benefits system for more than 150,000 parents. Each caller will receive an initial session with a specialist benefits adviser, lasting up to one hour. Parents will also have access to follow-up advice via phone and email, ensuring increased confidence and knowledge in navigating the benefits system.

Norfolk Carers Support has received £401,715 to expand a project supporting young adult carers aged 16-24 across market towns and the county to make the transition into adulthood, whilst balancing their caring responsibilities. Young adult carers and their families will be supported to design a plan to address their caring role, home life, finances, health, well-being, finding time for themselves and accessing education and employment. They will have access to day, residential and regular peer group activities.

SOS Domestic Abuse Projects in Southend-on-Sea has received £298,474 to support children and young people affected by domestic violence, aiming to identify those at risk as early as possible to reduce the likelihood of behaviour being replicated in later life. It will address the emotional issues that witnessing or being a victim of domestic violence can cause and promote positive personal relationships. The group will deliver outreach work in schools, training staff to identify children that have experienced domestic violence and running awareness sessions.

Sensory Trust near St Austell has received £269,308 to connect disabled children to outdoor environments. Activities for children and their families’ will include nature hunts, water play, making dens, sensory stories and trails designed for families to use in their own gardens and community green spaces such as parks, woodlands, moors and gardens. An online resource library will share techniques with families nationwide. This will enable these children to improve their health and build confidence, communication and social skills.

Avon Wildlife Trust in Bristol has received £499,330 to support people with mental health issues and learning disabilities across Bristol, Bath and North and North East Somerset through exploring and taking care of nature. It will provide a structured programme of outdoor activities, such as community allotment work, park clean ups, tree planting, nature walks, food growing and outdoor cooking. This will give people access to natural environments, and help them gain skills, build confidence, improve well-being and lead healthier lives.

Lyn Cole, Big Lottery Fund England grant making director said: “So many local community organisations are enabling people and communities to grow together bringing positive changes to their lives and futures. It’s wonderful to hear the stories of how through these great projects people have overcome barriers, learned new skills and improved their lives.”

Today’s awards have been made through the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All and Reaching Communities programmes. Awards for All provides grants between £300 and £10,000 to voluntary and community organisations and Reaching Communities awards larger grants of £10,000 and above.

For more information on funding available visit:

https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding

• The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. We put people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.
• We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Every year we invest over £650 million and award around 12,000 grants across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.

Website:  www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Twitter:  @biglotteryfund #BigLottery

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For funding and general enquiries call:

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