£13 million programme will give Welsh communities more control over their futures

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and the Welsh Assembly Government today announced an agreement to deliver a new £13 million programme to help community groups in Wales to acquire public buildings, land and facilities and refurbish them to transform their communities for the better.

On Wednesday August 5, the Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Leighton Andrews AM, and Wales Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, Huw Vaughan Thomas, announced an agreement between the Welsh Assembly Government and BIG to deliver a new Community Asset Transfer Programme.

The aim of the programme is to help community groups acquire public buildings, land and facilities, and to regenerate and reinvigorate them to suit their own needs. BIG will administer the programme, which will provide revenue and capital funding. Organisations will be able to make applications from mid October this year.

Highlighting the importance of the programme, the Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Leighton Andrews AM, said: "I am delighted to announce our agreement to work with the Big Lottery Fund on the Community Asset Transfer Programme. There are many public assets in Wales that are not being used to their full potential and empowering the community to use these buildings and land to suit their needs is the main aim of this initiative."

"This is a win-win situation. Disused and derelict buildings will be amongst those to be given a new lease of life and communities will have new facilities available to them for activities that can contribute to the regeneration of communities; improve partnership working between the public sector, the Third Sector and others; enable social enterprises to provide jobs and services in the community.

"This programme could see the disused school become a workspace for local artists or community enterprises, the old library turn into a hub for community organisations sharing back office resources, and derelict land transformed into a community garden or woodland trust. It is an example of partnership working at its best and I look forward to seeing the many projects we hope to help with this money. "

Delighted with the announcement, Big Lottery Fund Wales Chair and UK Board Member, Huw Vaughan Thomas, said: "Our aim is to help more people benefit from their local community assets but also to generate local income and employment."

"By working with the Welsh Assembly Government we have been able to maximise our joint impact and make life easier for applicants. There is one application process and the fund combines revenue and capital funding. It is a first for the Big Lottery Fund."