South West region update
August edition
Welcome from Mark Cotton, Head of Region
Welcome to the August update from the Big Lottery Fund in the South West. Things are really busy at the moment - this month we will bring you news of our new Youth in Focus programme, information how to vote for your favourite Lottery-funded project, as well as the most recent awards that have been made in the region. I hope you find the update informative, please let us know if you have any feedback.
On the 27 July we launched a new funding programme, Big Local Trust that helps people in overlooked areas make their communities better places to live, now and in the future. The first wave of funding will cover 50 areas across England, rural and urban, that have been identified as areas overlooked for funding in the past, particularly funding from the Big Lottery Fund. The funding will be awarded over a period of ten years via a new charitable trust that will work closely with local people from each area to decide how best to use the funding, giving people a greater say in where Lottery money goes. If you would like to find out more, please read our article further down - Big Local Trust or go to our website.
And finally, you can keep up to date with what I am up to around the region on Twitter. Feel free to tweet me You can also see what the South West team is doing in the region on Facebook and on Twitter
Warm regards
Mark
National Lottery Awards voting
It’s that time of year again when you get to vote for your favourite Lottery-funded project. The final round of public voting opens on 26 July 2010 and lasts until 13 August 2010.
There are seven different voting categories each with three finalists to choose from. Two projects from the South West have made it through Kids R Us under the Best Arts project category and Food For Life Partnership under the Best Health project category. To find out who is up for the award and to cast your vote visit the National Lottery Good Causes website. The winning projects will be on a celebratory BBC1 TV show later this year and will receive a £2,000 cash prize to spend on their project.
You will be able to vote via the website and dedicated telephone lines from 9am on Monday 26 July.
Big Local Trust
A new funding programme, Big Local Trust, launched on the 27 July enabling people to make their communities better places to live, now and in the future, by helping them develop the skills and confidence they need to identify priorities that matter to them and to take action to change things for the better.
Up to £200M will be available to be targeted at disadvantaged and overlooked neighbourhoods across England. The first 50 neighbourhoods have been chosen by using our local intelligence and statistical evidence to identify neighbourhoods that are both disadvantaged and are not benefiting from other funding that targets specific neighbourhoods.
We envisage up to 150 neighbourhoods in total to be agreed within the next 18 months. The delivery of the funding will be spread over 2010/11, and the communities will have up to 10 years to spend the money. For more information please visit the Big Local Trust programme page.
Youth in Focus
Youth in Focus is a £30 million programme to support vulnerable young people across England. The programme aims to support young carers, young people leaving care and young people leaving young offenders institutions to make successful transitions in their lives.
The programme will fund voluntary and community sector organisations to improve young people’s confidence, skills and knowledge and provide more effective support that is joined up with other services. We also expect to fund three England-wide projects that raise national awareness of the issues young people in these groups face.
You can find out more about Youth in Focus in the programme guide and we will be running briefing sessions for potential applicants and partners in September this year.
We have limited funds available for this programme, £30 million UK wide. We will probably only be able to fund about 30 projects across England, which means only a few in each region. We will expect applicants to form a partnership of voluntary, public or private sector led by a voluntary sector organisation.
You can visit our website for more information on the Youth in Focus programme and the up and coming events.
Community Wildlife
Community Wildlife is Big Lottery Fund’s new programme offering grants of between £300 and £10,000 to projects that bring communities together to improve or protect the natural environment by raising awareness of threatened wildlife or places.
Declared International Year of Biodiveristy by the UN, 2010 is the time for communities everywhere to think about their natural environment. Natural England’s Lost Life* report shows that England has lost 492 species since 1800, including 24 per cent of butterflies and 22 per cent of amphibians, demonstrating the need for everyone to look after wildlife.
The Community Wildlife grants programme is a small grants programme running in partnership with the BBC, complimenting their ‘Go Wild’ campaign. The programme has been launched with up to £2 million available across the UK. The programme is now open to a wide range of organisations including voluntary and community organisations, schools, town and parish councils, and statutory health authorities.
Application forms can be downloaded or alternatively, call our helpline on 0845 367 0610. For more ideas for projects visit the BBC Wildlife Fund website.
There are three deadlines for applications:
| 27 July | Notification to outcome 6 September |
| 22 September | Notification of outcome 8 November |
| 24 November | Notification of outcome 24 January 2011 |
South West Forum guides on the Equality Act 2010
'Equality Act 2010: What do I need to know?' is a series of summary and "Quick Start" guides to the key changes in the law, produced by the Government Equalities Office (GEO) in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, Citizens Advice and the Equality and Diversity Forum, to support implementation of the Act.
These simple guides set out clearly what the new laws will mean for business, the public sector, the voluntary sector and the public, helping people understand their new responsibilities and rights.
Latest news and events....
Heartlands – counting down to opening...
Heartlands in Pool, Cornwall held an event for their supporters on the 23 July, enabling them to sample what Heartlands will offer in 2011 – a taste of the culture, heritage, business, community and environmental aspects of one of the most significant regeneration projects in the UK.
It will mark the beginning of the construction work and the count down to the grand opening. Find our more about how Heartlands will transform a post-industrial landscape into a World Heritage.
Awards for All grants across the region.
A total of 55 organisations are celebrating in the South West with a £395,257 slice of a total funding pie announced for the region. Nearly half of these groups are based in Devon.
Earthlinks UK, based in Dartington gets £9,900 to encourage people to be greener and eat healthier foods. The grant will help the charity to run workshops and events to teach people about climate friendly food and it’s environmental and health benefits.
Woolacombe Allotment and Garden Association will use an award of £9,500 to improve a community space which is used to grow organic fruit and vegetables for local residents. A local school is also using the site to educate children about healthy living and the production of natural ingredients.
Shaftesbury Home Grown in Dorset scoops £10,000 to develop a social enterprise promoting local food production. The group has a field where they are creating a community farm for the benefit of local residents.
Find out about these projects and more
Reaching Communites awards across the region.
Lottery funding puts spotlight on moving on in Bristol
A Bristol based theatre project has been given the green light today to continue for a further three years, as the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) raises the curtain on a £36,000 grant to support its life-transforming work with recovering addicts. The grant from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme will be used by Chrysalis Theatre for its Moving On Project, which supports the recovery of people struggling with alcohol and drug addictions, helping them develop skills to move on with their lives.
Find out more about this project
It's money in the bank with Lottery funding lifeline
People across the Cotswolds will be able to continue banking their good deeds in the community, in return for a helping hand from others, as the Cotswold Time Bank project was today given a £214,869 lifeline from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG). Fair Shares Gloucestershire has been awarded the funding from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme to not only continue its Time Bank project for a further five years but also to expand it to cover the entire Cotswolds.
Find out more about this project
Home is where Lottery good cause starts
Families in need in Plympton, Plymstock and north west Plymouth are all set to get extra help and support as the Big Lottery Fund today announces a grant of £264,477 awarded to Home-Start Hams. Families with a child under five who need support will be helped with this grant through the provision of training courses and one-to-one volunteer back-up.