WIREDGOV

Delighted projects across Wales have been receiving letters congratulating on them on their awards from the £155,037 allocated in the recent round of the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All small grants programme (For details of all awards across Wales in June, please click here).

National Lottery players can feel proud, as their ticket purchases have funded these projects. 

In Meidrim, Carmarthenshire three Mental Health Professionals have put together a project designed to give adults living with a disability (including mental health issues) the chance to experience the benefits of being around ponies. Awards for All have given £5,000 to the project which will start offering sessions from September 2017. There is substantial research that interacting with animals has enormous benefits. Participants will have the chance to groom the ponies, play games in the ménage and go for walks on marked pathways. There is already a waiting list and the project will take referrals from health professionals when it is up and running. Marie Rocke, Chair of Hoofprints told us:

"We at Hoofprints are looking forward to welcoming participants to the project, to meet the ponies and share some time and activities with them. We hope to enable individuals to improve their confidence, awareness and relaxation by spending time with our lovely horses"

In Cardiff, NewLink Wales received a grant of £917 towards putting on a pantomime (photo attached). The pantomime helps to fund and raise awareness of the charity’s work improving the wellbeing of people who are dealing with long-term issues such as substance misuse, trauma and mental health problems. The project offers participants opportunities to volunteer, train and to build links with their communities.

This year’s pantomime “A-Lad-In A Talent Contest” offered a modern twist on an old tale and was written especially for the group. Loosely based on Aladdin it followed the fortunes of would-be stars auditioning for a popular TV talent show. The show ran for four nights in June at the YMCA Theatre. One of the main roles was taken by Ruth who struggles with alcohol addiction. Ruth’s life has been completely altered by NewLink Wales and other services that have helped her during her recovery.

Sue O’Brien from NewLink Wales said:

“The pantomime is about much more than raising money. For Ruth it has helped her build confidence, grow and focus on her recovery and she is now studying in University, working and living in her own flat. For NewLink Wales it’s about the bigger picture, even if we can impact on one person’s life we are doing our job. Ruth’s journey is inspiring, the progress that she has made is absolutely amazing. ”

In Powys, Severn Wye Energy Agency has launched a new project, Our Future’s People, which will directly work with 10 secondary schools over two years and enable students to run their own behaviour change campaigns and conduct energy surveys of the schools to reduce energy and water consumption. The project is also delivering Wales’ first ever Your Green Future event on the 7th and 8th of November at the Royal Welsh Showground.

Your Green Future is a sustainability-related careers event, which blends entrepreneurship and creative ideas from students in a range fun and engaging workshops. The Awards for All Grant of £5,000 will fund these workshops, in which students will work with mentors from local businesses on a range of sustainability challenges.

This includes the opportunity to be the “dragons” evaluating proposals to reduce carbon emissions from big name companies like Rolls Royce. Students will also visit a career pathways exhibition where they will find out about the range of sustainable employment opportunities, from engineering to retail, and the training opportunities available to support them in making the most of these opportunities. The events will involve up to 500 students from the 17 secondary schools across Powys. Teachers and students attending the Bristol 2017 event in May said:

Teacher: “Hugely worthwhile in promoting STEM. All students found the sessions engaging and there was something for every interest and ability.”

Student: “I really enjoyed the day because it showed me different job opportunities that I hadn’t thought of before.”

Gareth Williams, Awards for All Programme Manager for the Big Lottery Fund in Wales, said:

“These projects are really benefitting from Awards for All funding. Together they showcase just how innovative communities across Wales are, delivering amazing opportunities using ponies, pantomimes and green energy!” 

Available in English and Welsh, application forms are available to download from www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/a4awales or by phone on 0345 4 10 20 30.

Further Information:

Joanna Maurice - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 01686 611 720
Public Enquiries Line: 0300 123 0735 Textphone: 0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/wales   
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, £34 billion has been raised and more than 500,000 grants awarded.