Lottery cash is midsummer dream for community groups

14 Jul 2010

A Shakespeare group which performs in an open-air theatre made from trees and a crime prevention group are among those benefiting from the latest round of Awards for All funding.

A total of 82 community-based projects across Wales share in the £304,884 awarded under the latest round of the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All small grants programme (full list of awards at the end of the release).

Shakespeare Link in Powys will use £5,000 to help run a family festival next summer aimed at making the playwright’s work more accessible.

The group performs in the Y Glôb Byw - The Living Willow Theatre - a scaled down, living version of the Globe Theatre in London. The willow has been carefully woven into an organic theatre.

Kama Roberts, from Shakespeare Link, said: "The money will help fund a festival at the theatre which brings Shakespeare to life and makes his work more accessible to people of all ages and abilities."

Women4Resources in Swansea and Cardiff was awarded £5,000 to help collect testimonies from women living in Wales and Africa. Their ideas, success stories and difficulties faced will be publicised and shared.

Some 10 projects in Rhondda Cynon Taff benefited from funding, including the Safety, Crime and Prevention Group in the Cynon Valley which will use its £4,741 award to arrange a series of activities to boost community spirit.

A number of awards were aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of people in Welsh communities including £5,000 given to the Pontypool Pacers Heart Support Group in Torfaen, which will run exercise classes for people suffering heart disease. In Ceredigion, Hywel Dda Local Health Board will use its £4,500 to provide art therapy to patients with

dementia and Cynllun Cyfeirio Gwynedd will spend £1,924 on training sessions for children with special needs and speech therapy.

Tabernacl (Bethesda) Cyf in Gwynedd will use £5,000 to promote the use of the Welsh language in the area. Market Gardens SMA in Newport will spend £4,064 to provide composting toilet facilities at its allotment.

Meleri Wyn Davies, member of Tabernacl (Bethesda) Cyf, said: "The money will help bring people together to promote the Welsh language. We have various projects organised – some to do with families, others working with local schools."

Another project in the city benefitting from Awards for All money is Shalom Fitness Group which will use £4,603 to run a series of events for disabled women from the ethnic minority community.

In Caerphilly, £4,284 will help Bargoed and District YMCA fund a play day and half term activity for children whose lives have been affected by someone else’s misuse of drugs and alcohol.

Meanwhile, in Pembrokeshire, Golden Grove Kids Club will use £2,700 to provide new activities for children to encourage physical activities and promote healthy eating.

Other projects that promote social activities were also winners through Awards for All. The Friendship Club in Neath Port Talbot will spend £4,978 on organising monthly outings for people with disabilities. Also in the county, Gwaun Cae Gurwen Happy Wanderers will use £600 to arrange a series of walks for members.

The Awards for All programme has awarded more than £20 million of Lottery funding to good causes since 2001. Recognised as one of the quickest ways to secure lottery funding, Awards for All is one of the most successful Lottery funding programmes to date and has injected grants of between £500 and £5,000 into a wide range of community projects.

Gareth Williams, Awards for All Programme Manager for BIG in Wales, said: "Awards for All is having a positive impact throughout Wales. Money is helping to establish groups, societies and clubs, promoting learning, increasing volunteering opportunities and helping to build stronger communities."

Available in English and Welsh, the application for the programme can be downloaded, completed and emailed direct to the Big Lottery Fund as being available in hard copy. Application forms are available from www.awardsforall.org.uk or by phone on 0845 4 10 20 30.