Wednesday 00:01
Xmas has come early for ten community groups in Bristol with news they will share in over £1.1 million (£1,188,662) of Big Lottery money. They are among 70 groups across the South West to benefit from nearly £7 million (£6,851,392) in good causes funding.
Age Concern Bristol is to get £139,993 to continue to develop aspects of a home visiting service through which volunteers assist older people in Bristol with the basic maintenance of their homes and gardens. During these visits the volunteers are also be able to provide information and advice, and point older people towards other relevant services.
David Outram, Practical Services Manager of Age Concern Bristol, said: "Thanks to the Big Lottery older people in Bristol can feel safer with the development of our Home Safety Scheme, which aims to reduce risk of theft, exploitation, falls and other home hazards. We are a local based charity that, without this support, would have closed."
Voscur Limited, a development and co-ordination organisation working with the voluntary and community sector, is to receive £196,568 to provide information to member organisations including how to run a website, sending email bulletins, training on ICT use and providing on-line and paper directories and a library.
Wendy Stephenson, spokesperson for Voscur, said: "This is great news for Bristol, this funding means that Voscur's vital information services are not lost, and will now be able to develop and grow. Community groups in Bristol will have better access to resources, opportunities and knowledge to help them to improve their services and reach more people."
Addiction Recovery Agency is to receive £165,741 to develop the services of the Relapse Prevention Centre, providing more specialised information, advice and guidance to assist clients to access education, training and employment opportunities. In the longer term this will help clients in their transition to independent living without drugs or alcohol.
Bristol Resource Centre, which provides specialist social and welfare right advice to migrant women, will get a grant of £153,936 to improve access to employment, housing, education, welfare, social and health services, as well as increasing the confidence and the self-esteem of participants.
St Pauls Advice Centre is to receive £137,344 to provide advice on a range of subjects in a culturally appropriate way to Bristol's Somali community. This includes advice on housing, education, employment and benefits.
Wellwomen Information, an Asian Women's Counselling project will receive £97,400 to offer in-depth and ongoing support to those seeking advice and information. The environment volunteers organisation BTCV is to get £74,993 so that opportunities can be provided for people in disadvantaged communities to become involved in practical conservation and training, which aims to benefit the individual, their communities and the local environment.
Bristol Pakistani Community Welfare, is another beneficiary group in today's announcement, and is receiving is a grant of £125,034 for their project which offers advice, information and training. Refugee Action, a pilot project to support refugees who have just been given leave to remain in the UK will get £74,404. It will provide mentoring and support, through volunteers, during this difficult transition period when a refugee has 28 days to find new accommodation.
South Gloucestershire Chinese Association, which is based in Thornbury and supports the Chinese community in South Gloucestershire, is to get £23,249 to develop their services on a more regular basis, working with a greater number of people.
Mark Cotton, Big Lottery Fund Head of South West region, said: "This latest round of Big Lottery Fund grants will be of enormous help to the wide range of organisations that have been successful, and have a major impact on both the projects and their beneficiaries."
"And there's more good news for voluntary groups and organisations," Mark continued, "with the recent announcement of our new Reaching Communities programme. The scheme will support projects that improve the quality of life in communities across England, offering help to those in greatest need. The programme will provide funding of £100 million in its first year, with up to £500,000 available for individual projects."
A full list of your region's grants is at: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/newsroom/vcs.htm Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030 Textphone: 0845 6021 659 Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are at: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
* Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board (which made grants under the name of the Community Fund). The Big Lottery Fund, launched on 1 June 2004, is distributing half of all National Lottery good cause funding across the UK.
* The Big Lottery Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money. To date, the two merged Funds have committed more than £5 billion to initiatives with national, regional and local partners from the public, voluntary, charity and private sectors, with a particular focus on disadvantage.
* The Big lottery Fund will distribute funding worth over £2.3 billion between now and April 2009. Regularly updated information on the Fund's new portfolio of programmes is available at http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/publications.htm or ring our Big Advice Line on 0845 4 10 20 30.
* The deadline for applications to be submitted to programmes previously operated by the Community Fund has now passed. The Big lottery Fund will be awarding and announcing grants from this Voluntary and Community Sector scheme up to January 2006. Ends//
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