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£100,000 of National Lottery funding up for grabs to celebrate community spirit in the West Midlands

Following the huge success of the first Mayor’s Community Weekend last year, communities across the West Midlands are being given double the cash to host celebrations this summer. This is thanks to a partnership between the West Midlands Combined Authority and The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

This year, the Mayor’s Community Weekend will take place on Saturday 29 June and Sunday 30 June 2019, with £100,000 of National Lottery funding up for grabs for communities to hold over 200 celebratory events across the West Midlands.

Twice the amount of cash is on offer this year, after thousands of people came together to celebrate their community for the Mayor’s Community Weekend in 2018. More than 100 events took place across the region, with something for everyone. Festivities included a 1940s tea dance in Sutton Coldfield, cardboard box wars in Birmingham city centre and a dragon boat festival in Kenilworth.

Dawn McCarthy, Commercial Operations Manager at Age Concern Birmingham, yesterday said: 

“It was fantastic taking part in the Mayor’s Community Weekend last year. Our café has become a real part of the community and we wanted to get people together to celebrate this. It’s a space open to everyone, young or old, to socialise and meet new people. A group of veterans, who loved the event, gather here weekly and they’ve become a really close knit group of friends. Our 1940s style tea dance was the first of event if its kind we’ve held in the café and we’ve continued to expand our offering and hold special gatherings like this since.”

Grants of up to £500 will be on offer to groups across the region including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire.

The aim of the Mayor’s Community Weekend is to bring people and communities together, to celebrate the experiences they share and make new memories. It will encourage people from all walks of life to build stronger community bonds and embrace community spirit by holding events such as a street party, a sports festival or a picnic in the park.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, yesterday said: 

“The Community Weekend was a real highlight of last year and I am so pleased that The National Lottery Community Fund is doubling its commitment to real community-led events over this weekend again. Last year we saw neighbourhoods eating, playing sport and being creative together and moments like this are what make communities stronger. I would encourage new groups to come forward and organise an event in their local area for this year’s Mayor’s Community Weekend.”

Matt Poole, Senior Head of Regional Funding for the Midlands at The National Lottery Community Fund, yesterday said: 

“We’re really excited to build upon the success of last year’s Mayor’s Community Weekend. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’ll be bringing people together again to celebrate being part of their community and make something amazing happen in their local area.

“Doubling the National Lottery funding up for grabs will provide even more opportunities for communities to get creative, whether it’s an established organisation or a group of people planning an event together for the first time. We hope the weekend will help communities to thrive across the West Midlands, creating memorable experiences, boosting wellbeing and sparking new friendships.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year it awarded over half a billion pounds and supported over 11,000 projects across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes. 90% of the grants it makes are for under £10,000.

Communities can apply for funding from 9am on Friday 22 February 2019 to hold an event during the Mayor’s Community Weekend. Applications close at 9pm on Sunday 17 March 2019.

To find out more visit www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/mayors-community-weekend and www.wmca.org.uk/MCW

Notes to Editors

West Midlands Combined Authority

There are already great community events happening on the Mayor’s Community Weekend, such as the WM Community Games, the Gornal Fun Day and various commemorative community events for Armed Forces Day. The Mayor’s Community Weekend aims to amplify community spirit in the West Midlands – all of these events happening on the same weekend shows a co-ordinated approach across the region.

The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest community funder in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.

We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

Mayor’s Community Weekend

Read more about this programme

Contacts

West Midlands Combined Authority
Neil Elkes: neil.elkes@wmca.org.uk, 0121 214 7651, 07554 113021

The National Lottery Community Fund
Abbey Hartley: Abigail.Hartley@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, 0121 345 8892
Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500572

Interviews are available with Mayor Andy Street and The National Lottery Community Fund

 

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

Original article link: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/news/press-releases/2019-02-12/100-000-of-national-lottery-funding-up-for-grabs-to-celebrate-community-spirit-in-the-west-midlands

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