WIREDGOV

A choir group for older people is celebrating the news that it’s received a National Lottery grant to reduce loneliness in older people.

Thanks to National Lottery players, With Music in Mind CIC is one of eight projects across Wales sharing in £656,060 of medium-sized grants as part of the latest round of the Big Lottery Fund’s People and Places programme. (For a full list of awards, click here).

They will use £99,954 to expand their current service, which offers singing and socialising opportunities to the over 50’s at risk of loneliness, into two new locations in the Vale of Glamorgan.

There are 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK, and half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all. (Age UK 2016)

Welcoming the grant, Sarah Miles of With Music in Mind said: With Music in Mind is absolutely delighted to receive this grant from The Big Lottery Fund's People and Places award. The funding will enable the organisation to expand to two new locations in the Vale of Glamorgan, meaning that many more older people will benefit from the singing and social groups in the community.

“We would especially like to thank the players of the National Lottery, without whom this project would not be able to run. They are an integral part in making a huge difference to older members of the community.”

One Carer, Carys whose husband attends the singing sessions said “My husband has vascular dementia. It has affected his short-term memory drastically as he is unable to retain any information. He is unable to enjoy his previous past-times of bowls, craft and male voice choirs, but he copes well at “With Music in Mind”. He enjoys the singing, company, and entertainment.”

Elsewhere, in Wrexham, Horeseman’s Green Community Group will use £55,000 to purchase the existing Scout Hut to secure it for the use of the community of Horseman’s Green, Hanmer and surrounding areas. In Newport, Stow Park Community Centre receive £99,475 to offer accredited training packages to improve both the employability and soft skills of, primarily, homeless people and people on low incomes in the community, and in Cardiff, The Mentor Ring Limited will use £99,930 to build on and enhance their existing mentoring activities to include people aged 16-35.

Highlighting the importance of the People and Places programme, Rona Aldrich, Wales Committee Member for the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Programmes like People and Places are making a difference to the lives of so many people in communities across Wales.

“It delivers on our promise to use National Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities, tackle disadvantage head on and leave a lasting legacy.”

The People and Places programme awards grants of between £10,001 and £500,000 for a broad range of community projects. For further information about the programme and how you can apply for funding, please visit http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/fundingfinderwales.

Further Information:

Alexander Davies - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 029 2067 8236
Public Enquiries Line: 0300 123 0735
Text Relay: 18001+0300 123 0735
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow Big Lottery Fund Wales on Twitter: www.twitter.com/biglotterywales
Find Big Lottery Fund Wales on Facebook: www.facebook.com/biglotteryfundwales

• 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 £6.5 billion 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.