National Lottery funding boosts outdoor activities across Wales

18 Feb 2015 10:55 AM

People across Wales will be benefiting from outdoor and wildlife activities through the latest funding announced yesterday by the Big Lottery Fund.

As part of the latest announcements from the Awards for All small grants programme, a total of £225,301 will be shared across 56 projects in Wales (Full project descriptions are available here).

Hwb Dolgellau C.I.C. in Gwynedd will use £5,000 to give young people in the area opportunities to try outdoor activities such as canoeing, bushcraft, outdoor swimming and trail running. The grant will also be used to train volunteers to manage the activities.

Director for Hwb Dolgellau, James Charlwood said in receipt of the Award, “We’re delighted to receive this grant from the Big Lottery Fund. We will be able to give young people in the local area opportunities to take part in healthy and fun outdoor activities whilst helping the local community get even more value out of what we have at Hwb Dolgellau.”

1^st Ystrad Mynach Scout Group, based in Hengoed will use £4,921 to purchase improved camping equipment for their members including tents, groundsheets, cast iron double burners and a generator.

In Conwy, Trefriw Walkers are Welcome, receive £4,802 to offer a range of walking opportunities to local school children, families and experienced walkers. The grant will be used to fund experienced sessional workers as well as notice boards and information for participants.

Bryncynon Walk Group in Abercynon will use a grant of £1,975 to fund minibus travel for walking trips to areas across Wales including the Brecon Beacons, Elan Valley and Rhossili.

Chairman of the Walk Group, Terrence Britten said, “Our Walk Group is made up people from the local area of all different abilities. We want to build up a community of people that want to get together and have fun in an outdoor environment. This grant will help us visit new areas and take in as much of the Welsh countryside as possible”.

Ysgol Cylch y Garn in Holyhead will receive £4,998 to run a Forest Schools programme in local woodlands and will host events for the local community so that they can discover the area.

Headteacher Ann Roberts at Ysgol Cylch y Garn said, "The grant will help the school to participate in exciting outdoor activities. We will be establishing close links with the community and using local resources. The children will have varied and practical experiences in the world of nature in a local environment in the North-west Anglesey countryside.”

Other projects being funded include Cruse Bereavement Care Powys who will use a grant of£5,000 to run a course for 16 volunteers to provide them with the skills to support people who have experienced bereavements.

Elsewhere, Swansea Hard of Hearing Group will receive £4,361 to fund lip-reading classes for the hard-of-hearing as well as to fund trips to places of interest where members will be able to use their new skills in every day environments as a group.

Chairman of Swansea Hard of Hearing Group, Douglas Adams said, “The grant will help local people who are hard of hearing feel less isolated by providing lip-reading classes for up to 50 of our members. Deafness can be difficult to cope with in crowded situations and these classes will allow our members to communicate more easily.”

Available in English and Welsh, application forms are available to download fromwww.awardsforall.org.uk or by phone on 0845 4 10 20 30.

Further Information:

Alexander Davies - Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 029 2067 8236

Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030                       

Textphone:  0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at:www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/biglotterywales

Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/biglotteryfundwales

Notes to editors

• The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery.
• The Fund 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 its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.
• Around 28% of National Lottery revenue is awarded to projects. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £32 billion has been raised, and more than 450,000 grants awarded.