North West region update
Spring / Summer edition
BIG Lunch – Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with a Big Lunch in this special year
Since the Big Lunch started in 2009, thousands of Big Lunches have taken place in all kinds of communities, with over a million people taking part in 2011 making it the biggest Big Lunch yet. The campaign is run by the Eden Project and is funded by Big Lottery Fund. Celebrity chef Simon Rimmer helped to get us of to a good start launching this year's Big Lunch in Manchester. 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 bank holiday - Saturday 2nd to Tuesday 5th June - will take place so there will be plenty of time for you to enjoy lunching in your community.
Some 10 million people came out in sunny 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee so we hope a large number of people will take part in The Big Lunch for the first time in 2012 - joining the best part of 2 million of us that have been doing it for the last 3 years!
The beauty of The Big Lunch is that people themselves decide everything about their own event. The venue can be wherever you want or have space, the theme whatever you fancy - food and people are the key ingredients. Quite simply we want to get as many people as possible to sit down and have lunch with their neighbours on the first Sunday in June. After all The Big Lunch is all about community, friendship and fun!
Watch the advert, get a free pack, comment on the blog....
Claire carries the torch
A Lancashire lass from a Big Lottery Funded project has been chosen from over 37,000 applicant’s country-wide to be one of the carriers of the 2012 Olympic Torch.
Claire Heaton was supported by the Building Lives Project that received just under £500,000 Reaching Communities Funding to work with homeless young people at the Birchwood Centre in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.
Stella Connell from The Birchwood Centre says “Claire was supported by the building lives project which helps to provide a package of support for young people to enable them to live independently in the community, she spent 12 months at the centre and we are still supporting her even though she’s moved on, we are very proud of her”
21 year old Claire was nominated to carry the torch through Lancashire as a result of her work with the National Youth Agency (NYA) who work in partnership with various private and voluntary organisations to support and improve services for young people.
Claire said: “I was temporarily homeless and living at the Birchwood Centre. The staff there helped me prepare a presentation and transported me to the NYA. They were so impressed by my application I was accepted as a member there and then.
“Since I have been at the Centre my life has changed beyond recognition. I’ve attended conventions like the Action for Prisoners Families at the Houses of Parliament, where I met Michael Palin and Ruth Bond and I was even invited to contribute at the Round Table event held at Westminster.”
Claire will be carrying the torch at the Burscough, Lancashire leg on June 1.
She said, “I am so honoured to be able to carry the Olympic Torch for my country, and, more especially I would like to dedicate this great honour to the staff at the Birchwood Centre”
To follow the route go to
A right Royal visit
The Big Lottery Funded Library in the New Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub in Warrington will be officially opened on Thursday 17 May by HM The Queen, accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
The visit is part of her ongoing tour of the regions to mark her Diamond Jubilee year.
Cllr Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council said: “The excitement is really building ahead of the Royal visit later this month and we hope as many people as possible come out to give her a warm Warrington welcome. It’s going to be a really special day that local people will remember for years to come."
Diana Terris, chief executive of the council said: “Thursday 17 May will be a very special day for us, we have pulled out all the stops to give the royal party a fantastic welcome and I hope the people of Warrington will be proud of what's been arranged.”
On the day hundreds of children and young people from nearby schools will be providing old-time dance and sport displays and local groups and representatives will be holding a 1950’ style street party outside the new community cabin on site. Crowds will be entertained by a series of choirs and musical performances around the park while some brave Marines abseil off the roof of the hub building!
The Queen will tour the newly completed £30 million hub building, taking in the new café, Big Lottery Funded library and learning spaces before officially opening it to the public.
The Duke of Edinburgh will then help local school children bury a time capsule at the site.
It will be HM The Queen’s third visit to the borough; the last time she was here was in 1979 to open the new Golden Square shopping centre and the first time she visited was also on 17 May in 1968, to see the newly renovated Bridge Street, shortly after Warrington was official designated a new town just a few weeks before.
The Orford Park Project is a unique £30m project and is widely regarded as an example of best practice in promoting joint service delivery, health and wellbeing, community safety, sustainable communities, lifelong learning and social and economic regeneration.
Awards in the region
Big Local is a long term innovative programme that will achieve lasting change in the areas that it supports. The funding will allow local communities to drive the investment in their areas, build on local talents and aspirations and to identify and act on their own need to make their areas even better places to live.
Big Local is funded by Big Lottery Fund and is delivered by the Local Trust, which is a consortium led by the Community Development Foundation (CDF). The Local Trust will be supporting the Big Local areas in their community development and is looking to develop a national pool of experienced and committed individuals who can guide and coach the communities. If this is something you are interested in being involved in visit the Renaisi website for more information.
The communities that have received £1 million investment through Big Local Round 2 in The North West:
| Blackpool | Revoe |
|---|---|
| Bolton | Tonge with the Haulgh |
| Burnley | Gannow Triangle |
| Halton | Windmill Hill |
| Manchester | Collyhurst |
| Pendle | Bradley |
| Sefton | St Oswald |
| Tameside | Ridge Hill |
Awards For All
Projects across the North West have received around £70,000 in total from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) today to provide ICT skills training.
The groups in Rochdale, Oldham, Manchester, Blackpool, Bolton, Burnley, Bacup and St Helens, are among 118 projects in the North West sharing grants of more than £1 million from BIG’s small grants Awards for All programme.
Royton Hall Park Residents Association, in Oldham, received £9,814 to provide ICT training for all members of the community and start a back to work club for job seekers to improve their chances of find employment.
Secretary Lesley Heath said: “We want to do two things – we want to offer ICT training skills to people on our estate but we also help people back into the workplace. We have a lot of unemployment on our estate and many people cannot afford a home computer. We’ll have access to computers, newspapers and a phone. We will be hoping to help the long term unemployed, people with health problems and young, single parents. We also want to offer some of the young people on our estate involved in antisocial behavior the opportunity to focus on something positive.”
To read more about what we have funded in the region go to our website
Village SOS Roadshow 12 June in Penrith
The Village SOS Roadshow is back, providing information, inspiration and advice to rural communities across England, Scotland and Wales for FREE.
Visiting 11 locations in England, Scotland and Wales, the Roadshow will help people in rural areas to start community enterprises that will breathe new life into their village.
If you are from a community support organisation and are passionate about rural revival but don’t know how to kick-start your ideas this is for you.
The North West Roadshow will take place on 12th June at The Rheged Centre in Penrith
As well as hearing inspirational talks, the events will give you with the chance to vote on key issues, talk to sector experts, share with local practitioners and discuss ideas in 1-to-1 surgeries with a range of exhibitors.
The Roadshow will provide a fantastic platform for you and your community to find out how to start or enhance your community enterprise.
Book your free place
BIG advice line 0845 4 10 20 30
