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A new London project to support people affected by fatal gun, knife and violent crime is to start after being awarded £108,821 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The project offering help and counselling to friends and family of victims of violent crime is one of three London projects sharing over £600,000 from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme.

The Peace of Life Project, run by Southwark Bereavement Care, will use the funding over three years to reduce the effects of gun, knife and violence-related deaths in Southwark and Lambeth.

Staff and qualified volunteers will offer counselling, trauma therapy, mentoring and anger management to people who have lost someone through a violent death such as murder, accident or suicide. The project will help the grieving process and mitigate a need for revenge, which can lead to stress, social isolation, insomnia, anxiety and anti-social behaviour.

Geoff Warburton, Director of Southwark Bereavement Care, said: “ Losing a loved one through a violent death is very hard to recover from.  Such bereavements leave people highly distressed and disabled from enjoying life.  This grant will bring back peace of mind and enjoyment of life for those people bereaved through a violent death.”

Debbie Pippard, Big Lottery Fund, Head of Region for London, said: “Helping get initiatives such as the Peace of Life Project of the ground shows the scope of what the Big Lottery Fund is able to achieve through its funding. The project will help relief some of the emotional pain and stress caused from the loss of someone through violent crime, at a time when there might be few, if any, other people to turn to.”

A wide range of activities for older people living in Camden will continue for a further five years with an award of £359,892 granted to Castlehaven Community Association’s Help Elderly Local People Scheme (CCA HELPS). Activities such as walking clubs, day trips, local history clubs, Tai Chi and bridge will help older people become more involved in the community, increase their confidence and feel less isolated.

Eleanor Botwright, Director, Castlehaven Community Association, said: “The funding means not only can we continue delivering, but we can expand this much valued, innovative, and creative project. By focusing on mental and physical dexterity and social engagement of vulnerable older people, this funding will clearly have an impact on the quality of life for our elderly users.

“Five years funding is an amazing luxury which means we can focus on the needs of our members and the quality of our services, rather than constantly fundraising for every single initiative.”

Also in Camden, the Bengali Workers Association has been awarded £150,083 to help tackle isolation amongst older Bangladeshi women. The three-year project will provide bi-lingual workers to work with isolated or housebound women, helping them access information and services to improve their quality of life. The project will also provide healthy living workshops, with exercise classes and health tips to improve their diet.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• Under Reaching Communities, the Big Lottery Fund awards grants between £10,000 and £500,000 to projects that offer people better life chances, build stronger communities, develop improved rural and urban environments and improve health and well being.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG 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 June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.