28 October 1998

Charities Board to tackle Poverty & Disadvantage

The plight of people on low income has been highlighted today as the National Lottery Charities Board launched a new grant programme called ‘Poverty and disadvantage’, aimed specifically at minimising the impact of poverty and addressing the root causes. The need in Wales is undeniable and, with dedicated Charities Board funding available to the voluntary sector, it is expected that many groups working with those disadvantaged by low incomes will stand to benefit.

The specific Poverty and disadvantage programme has been introduced to increase the opportunities for the seriously disadvantaged without putting their needs in direct competition with the various other community needs in Wales. The parallel main programme currently open to the voluntary sector is Community involvement which has been well-received and covers a broad range of projects in communities across Wales.

Tom Jones, Chair of the Charities Board in Wales said, "We are a very proud people in Wales and ‘poverty’ is not a word we like to use to describe particular circumstances or communities - instead we pride ourselves in the community action taken to avoid or minimise poverty. It is this traditional community action that we aim to support with the Poverty and disadvantage programme. We are confident that the people of Wales will support this programme that deals specifically with issues of disadvantage due to low incomes and that the voluntary sector will welcome this new funding opportunity."

Roy Norris, Wales Director added, "Low income affects communities as well as social groups such as the unemployed and the elderly and our aim is to improve the quality of life for those affected. We also recognise that poor educational attainment and lack of access to training or child-care are some of the issues that we can address as root causes of low income. The success of the programme will ultimately depend on the projects identified by the voluntary sector but we expect that health care and social projects, housing services, clubs for the elderly or young, projects on disadvantaged estates or in rural communities, and community centres and transport schemes may be some of the issues addressed by voluntary groups. Application forms are now available and our staff are at hand to provide advice on our bilingual enquiries line."

Anyone seeking application forms or further information should call 0345 273273.