London region update
March/April 2012
£8 million investment in London communities most in need
Eight communities in London are being allocated £1 million each to spend on making their areas better places to live as part of a pioneering Big Lottery Fund (BIG) scheme to put decision-making power in the hands of local people.
The communities of the Chinbrook Estate, Lewisham; Clapham Junction and West Battersea; Copley Close area of Hanwell, Ealing; London Road area of Broad Green Ward, Croydon; Bounces Montague, Lower Edmonton; Marks Gate, Barking & Dagenham; Noel Park Estate, Haringey and Slade Green, Bexley will get to decide how to spend £1m National Lottery funding to improve their local area over the next ten years, which could include anything from creating new community facilities to starting up training and employment schemes, tackling anti-social behaviour, or providing more activities for young people.
Residents in these areas will also benefit from a range of support, training and networking opportunities to enable them to make best to use their funding.
The money comes from a £200m Big Lottery Fund scheme called Big Local, which aims to give communities a leading role in making decisions about how to improve their area and tackle local problems.
Alison Rowe, Big Lottery Fund Head of London region, said: “This funding scheme is going to put residents in these areas at the heart of decision making and give them a real say in how to improve their local area. But more than that it’s going to strengthen these communities and help local people to build on their skills and experience so that they can continue to work together to overcome challenges, address local problems, and make a positive difference in their communities over the next ten years, and beyond.”
Find out more about Big Local in London
National Lottery Awards
The search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects is on and we want your nominations in London.
Lottery players raise an amazing £30 million each week for projects all across the UK, and the National Lottery Awards are a great way to highlight how that funding is transforming communities and changing lives.
The awards are YOUR chance to tell your incredible stories and to celebrate the hard work, dedication and achievement of your Lottery-funded project.
Winners will:
- attend a star-studded award ceremony
- have their project presented on a prime time BBC One television show
- receive £2,000 to spend on their project
Entering the awards is quick, easy and free. To make a nomination, and receive the recognition that your project deserves, visit www.nationallotteryawards.org.uk and enter today!
All nominations must be received by 12 noon on Monday 12 March 2012, for consideration for the 2012 event. For further details or assistance with completing the nomination form please contact 0207 293 2128.
Big Jubilee Lunch
Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with your very own neighbourhood Big Lunch on 3 June 2012.
Food, friendship and fun are all on the menu at the fourth annual Big Lunch which will fall on the same weekend as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Anyone who would like to celebrate and commemorate the Queen’s 60 year reign can do so by holding a Big Jubilee Lunch.
As announced by Buckingham Palace, the Big Jubilee Lunch will be a part of the main programme of events over the central weekend of Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012. A special 4-day Diamond Jubilee bank holiday will take place so there will be plenty of time for you to enjoy lunching in your community.
You can request a free pack to help get you started on organising your Big Lunch and visit the Big Lunch website for lots of ideas and advice.
Awards for All
Our colleagues in the East Midlands region have put together a handy little film on improving your Awards for All application. Packed with top tips and advice, it’s a must see for any group thinking of applying.
Hit the headlines
Are you a charity, community group or citizen journalist? Do you have a story you want to get out into the media?
The free-to-use Community Newswire service can help you to get your stories into the national and regional media. You can submit your stories, press releases and photos and the best will be selected and written up by dedicated Press Association journalists and distributed to thousands of newsrooms across the UK.
The website is packed with top tips from the newsroom and advice on how to hit the headlines so make a start today.
Happy Families
A London project working with young children growing up in very difficult family circumstances has been awarded close to £900,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.
Hackney Council for Voluntary Service, partnered with London borough of Hackney, Claudia Jones Organisation, African Community School, Daymer and Inspire!, is the latest project to receive money from BIG’s Improving Futures programme, which will provide more joined-up and earlier support to families with multiple and complex problems.
BIG’s backing will see families whose eldest children are aged five to ten years old being offered tailored support from local voluntary sector organisations working in partnership with public services.
The project will work with the families, delivering a programme of approaches such as tailored, one-to-one mentoring and skills development for children making the transition from primary to secondary school; and intensive family support and coaching to restore parent, child and school relationships.
Find out more about BIG's support for families
BIG learns from young people
The Big Lottery Fund has published seven good practice guides for organisations working with young people.
The new downloadable publications share learning and practical examples from projects supported by the Young People’s Fund. Since 2004 over £211 million has been invested in projects which actively involve young people in planning and delivering youth services.
The seven new downloadable good practice guides are:
- Encouraging Active Citizenship – supporting young people to make a positive contribution and engage with their community
- Actively involving young people – approaches to active involvement that have worked well for BIG funded projects
- Reducing anti-social behaviour and working with young people who have offended or are at risk of offending – examples of tackling ASB to minimise the risk of young people continuing with offending behaviour
- Improving behaviour in schools – how youth projects have the potential to positively influence the behaviour of young people who are at risk of disengagement or exclusion
- Reducing cases of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) – key learning from youth projects that have helped keep young people actively engaged with education and identifying the triggers and early warning signs of disengagement
- Working with young carers – lessons from organisations working with this hidden group of young people
- Working with care leavers – practical examples of ways to engage care leavers within youth projects and helping to address issues such as instability faced by individuals
Download these free guides
BIG advice line 0845 4 10 20 30
