Big Lottery Fund: Here comes the fun!

Wednesday, 6 June 2012 8:14 AM

With the summer holidays just a few weeks away, most children’s heads are filled with thoughts of the long, fun-filled holidays ahead. And thanks to grants from the Big Lottery Fund, children across the West Midlands will have play opportunities a plenty.

Some 35 projects are sharing over £280,000 of funding this month, with groups in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Warwick among those receiving grants.

Whitnash Primary School in Warwick receives £10,000 to install timber trail play equipment next to their playground for pupils, families and the community to use. While just under £9,990 goes to Walsall Wood School to create a community garden and activity centre in the school grounds, to be enjoyed by pupils and local residents. Audley Primary School in Birmingham is also celebrating today after receiving £9,990, which they will use to create a seasonal and sensory woodland garden for the school and the wider community.

Meanwhile, Young and Dishy in Wolverhampton will use their £9,680 award to run arts and crafts activities that focus on relationships and safety for young people with severe or profound learning disabilities. While in Birmingham, Ishkoka School of Performing Arts has been awarded £8,523 to run therapeutic African drumming sessions for young people with moderate to severe learning difficulties.

Among the other projects receiving funding today is Rugby Bharatanatyam, who will use £6,670 to run South Asian dance classes for local families at risk of obesity, depression and diabetes, Quinton Horticultural Society in Dudley which receives £3,890 to develop a site at their allotments for gardeners who are disabled and Intersession in Wolverhampton, who will run developmental opportunities for young people who are not in education, employment or training or have been involved in gangs with a £9,940 grant. £4,403 also goes to Rotten Park Road in Leek, Staffordshire to run drama and theatre production workshops for vulnerable adults to teach them new skills and reduce their isolation.

John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund’s Head of the West Midlands region, said: “All of these projects support their communities in a remarkable way, whether by giving children and their families a place to spend time together, teaching people new skills or helping people to feel part of a group and not feel so isolated. I’m delighted this funding will enable them to continue their life-changing work.”

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Follow BIG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BigLotteryFund #BIGlf
Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment. 

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• birmingham
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• charity
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• children
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• warwick
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• west midlands
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• wolverhampton