WIREDGOV

Community organisations across England are celebrating after being awarded £54 million in National Lottery funding for the quarter. The money, raised by players for good causes, is being distributed by the Big Lottery Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. Over 1,700 community projects are receiving a share.

These range from an intergenerational reading scheme in Cornwall that sees young people interacting with dementia sufferers, to a beach clean-up group in Lincolnshire. The range demonstrates the breadth and depth of the different groups applying for National Lottery money to support their ambitions. But while diverse, they share one thing in common – they all have the local community at their heart.

With International Women’s Day approaching (8th March), there is also good news for groups tackling issues specifically relating to women and girls.

This includes Girls Rock London, based in the capital, which uses music as a tool to promote women’s self-esteem. The project will receive over £9,000 to deliver a confidence-boosting music summer camp for girls aged 11 to 16.

Geraldine Smith, Co-Founder of Girls Rock London, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding will enable us to work with young women this summer, using music as a way to improve their resilience, confidence and self-esteem.

“We know that young women in this country face real challenges, with high levels of depression and self-harm, and plummeting self-esteem during high school years. Our work directly tackles these issues and gives girls across London the opportunity to learn new skills, try new things, work together and, above all, make lots of noise!”

James Harcourt, England Grant Making Director at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “This quarter we are throwing a spotlight on the amazing things communities are doing, particularly when it comes to supporting women and girls. Whether about boosting life skills, self-esteem or confidence, these inspirational projects are making a real difference across the country.

“When you hear about the extraordinary things people are doing in their communities you realise the real impact the money raised by National Lottery players is having - it really is life changing.”

Projects included in yesterday’s funding announcement include:

Penryn Memory Café in Cornwall, which has been awarded £10,000 for a creative literary scheme for young people and people with dementia. The project will inspire those living in the community to engage in a pass-the-parcel like correspondence, culminating in an event where they can celebrate their new friendships.

Capacity Buildings in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, which has received over £10,000 for community activities around the local beach. These will include beach clean-ups, exercise sessions and conservation work. This will bring people of different ages and backgrounds together and build new friendships across the community.

Deaf-initely Women in Derbyshire in the East Midlands, which has received £360,000. The project is run by a committee of Deaf women in the area and will use the funding to support other Deaf women to organise and deliver a range of activities including workshops on cooking, water sport, lip reading, sign language and dance.

Flourish Together, Manchester, which has received £9,750 for its Women Changemakers for the Future project. This work will support women who are trying to create positive change in their community by connecting them with key stakeholders in the city to get a better understanding of how to realise their ambitions.

The Greenbank Project in Liverpool, which has received over £432,000. This project will expand the range of activities available for disabled people in Merseyside by pairing them up with support workers and volunteer buddies. This will support them to overcome barriers and enhance their opportunities to participate in sport activities.

See a full list of projects

Last year the Big Lottery Fund awarded almost £713 million and supported almost 14,000 projects across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.

Contact:

Ellen Thornton: Ellen.Thornton@biglotteryfund.org.uk or 0207 211 3801
Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500572

Notes to Editors:

About us:

The Big Lottery Fund uses money raised by National Lottery players to help communities achieve their ambitions. From small, local projects to UK-wide initiatives, our funding brings people together to make a difference to their health, wellbeing and environment. Since June 2004 we have awarded £8.5 billion to projects that improve the lives of millions of people.