12 December 1996

CHARITIES IN SCOTLAND AND WALES CELEBRATE A CHRISTMAS WINDFALL

The National Lottery Charities Board today announced 507 grants worth £25 million to grants to voluntary and community groups in Scotland and Wales. In Scotland, 239 organisations were awarded grants worth over £16 million and in Wales, 108 groups were awarded grants worth nearly £9 million under the Health, disability and care programme. In addition, the Wales committee are awarding 160 grants worth over £318,000 to small groups who have applied under the pilot Small grants scheme.

The grant recipients include the Royal British Legion, MIND, Down's Syndrome Society, Arthritis Care, Radio Lollipop, Barnardo's, Welsh cancer charity Tenovus, Pain Concern, RNIB, and the National Asthma Campaign, a number of hospice schemes and groups supporting carers.

The Board also awarded many grants to small community based groups including £800 to the Fintry Driving Group (Riding for the Disabled) in Stirling where disabled people can take part in horse carriage driving and £9,000 to the Megan and Trevor Griffiths Trust in Carmarthenshire to provide holidays for young disabled people, giving their carers respite.

David Sieff, Chairman of the Board, said: 'I am delighted that so many excellent projects in Wales and Scotland have been offered grants today. These projects will benefit hundreds of people by tackling some of the causes of poor health, promoting good health and care and empowering disabled people.

'The grants announced today will benefit people of all ages. Beneficiaries will include those with Alzheimer's Disease, arthritis, cancer, MS, Down's Syndrome, asthma, epilepsy, mental ill health and people who are blind or visually impaired, deaf, disabled and elderly. Many will help disabled people to play an active role in planning activities and helping each other. The grants will also benefit people who are carers, offering them respite and support. Our grants support groups helping some of the most vulnerable people, including victims of violence and abuse. I am pleased that we have again made many grants at a grass roots level to improve the quality of life in the community.'

The grants awarded under the pilot Small grants scheme today bring the total awarded in Wales under this programme to over half a million pounds. The pilot scheme will be rolled out to Scotland, the North East and South West England in early 1997.

The Board awarded over £8.5 million to research charities on 10 December. On 17 December, it will announce grants to health, disability and care projects in Northern Ireland and England and UK wide grants will be announced in January.