17 August 1999

Disabled youth and Valley kids benefit from Charities Board £5.5m awards

Radical and large-scale projects addressing disadvantage as well as more broad-based community projects feature in the National Lottery Charities Board’s announcement today of £5,683,935 to 40 groups in Wales.

Several projects will tackle distinct disadvantages faced by young people. A Wales-wide initiative The 14+ Project, has been awarded £299,613 to help 14 to 25 year olds with physical disabilities to prepare for adult life; whilst 18 to 24 year-olds with learning disabilities or mental health problems in the Gwynedd area will benefit from Agoriad Cyf’s £183,962 award for an employment service. The Valley Kids project receives £259,504 to provide play facilities and parenting support in three housing estates in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Tom Jones, Chair of the Charities Board in Wales, said, "Congratulations to all the successful groups today for their commitment to addressing disadvantage and community needs. Over £2.5m has been awarded under the broad-based Community involvement programme and I am particularly pleased to note that over £3m of the money has been awarded under our Poverty and disadvantage programme.

"Poverty is a significant cause of disadvantage to individuals and communities in Wales. The dignity and self-respect of people on low-income demands sensitive use of the term ‘poverty’, yet we will never address poverty unless we name it by name and target it directly. The causes of poverty are complex but for anyone affected by poverty - for example because of the area they live in, disability or old age - help from the voluntary sector can go a long way to alleviate the effects and, in some cases, address the cause of poverty."

Besides youth issues, other aspects addressed in today’s awards include: citizens’ advice, domestic abuse, free pre-school placements, care and companionship for the elderly, support housing for those with mental health problems, support for carers, hospital broadcasts, community facilities, victim support, bilingual services, play resources, community farm, access for the disabled, and continuing adult education.

Roy Norris, Director of the Charities Board in Wales urged voluntary groups, "There are many more projects and many more aspects of disadvantage in Wales and I urge those who are involved in community work to contact the Charities Board to find out how we can help. In the meanwhile, we look forward to seeing communities benefit from the projects awarded grants today, as we monitor their progress on an ongoing basis."

Groups seeking application forms for Charities Board grants or further information should call 0345 273273.