11 February 2000

70 groups in Wales receive Charities Board grants

Multi-cultural awareness toys, a wheelchair lift, a seminar on mental health issues, tables for a gardening show, a promotional video, and tents for a Millennium Camp are among the latest items to be funded by the National Lottery Charities Board.

Today, a total of £220,854 was awarded by the Charities Board, based in Newtown, to 70 groups under the Small grants scheme which this year celebrates the Millennium Festival in Wales.

The newly-appointed Chair of the Charities Board in Wales, Elisabeth Watkins, said: "As we approach St David’s Day and remember his emphasis on the small things in life, we can certainly agree with him in terms of the importance of Small grants. Piloted in Wales by the Charities Board, the Small grants have proved very successful in getting money to grass roots organisations. I would like to congratulate all the local groups awarded grants today. From a national perspective their contributions may seem ‘small’ but together they play an essential role in revitalising community activity across Wales."

Local youth, pensioners’ and community groups, as well as playgroups, received awards. Several all-Wales groups were also successful, such as Cardiff-based Student Community Action Wales awarded £5,000 to develop a promotional video; Bangor-based Care and Repair Cymru awarded £1,784 for a lap-top computer to improve its services; Caernarfon-based Lupus UK awarded £2,399 for equipment to help develop this new organisation; the Abergavenny-based Self-Injury Forum awarded £4,275 to help un-waged members to attend a conference; and Merched y Wawr, based in Machynlleth, awarded £4,937 for new audio visual and IT equipment for its office.

Wales Director, Roy Norris explained, "These Small grants of between £500 to £5,000 are awarded to groups with an annual income of up to £15,000. In order to respond with greater flexibility to communities celebrating during the Millennial Year, the Charities Board has come together with the other Lottery distributors under the banner of the Millennium Festival. Hence many of today’s awards reflect a Millennial theme. Other grants reflect the basics required by groups to continue serving their communities and we expect these requests to go on long beyond the Millennium."

Groups in Wales seeking application forms for Small grants or information on other Charities Board grants should call 0845 7273273.

Notes to Editors

1. For media enquiries or group contact numbers please call Hanna or Myrddin on 01286 675221.
2. The National Lottery Charities Board is an independent body set up by Parliament to distribute funds to support charitable, benevolent and philanthropic organisations. There are 17 Board members, including the Chair. Decisions on grants are made by the members in grant-making committees for Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole.
3. The Charities Board’s two main grant programmes: Community involvement and Poverty and disadvantage as well as Small grants are assessed by the Wales Committee. Board Members in Wales are Elisabeth Watkins (Chairman), Tom Jones and Jeff Carroll. Co-opted Members to the Board are Margaret Dennis, Aled Siôn and Dr Glyn Williams.
4. The Board’s main aim is to give grants to help meet the needs of those at greatest disadvantage in society and to improve the quality of life in the community.
5. Since October 1995, the National Lottery Charities Board, under the main grants, has awarded over £79 million to 891 groups in Wales. Over £4 million has been awarded to 1534 groups under the Small grants scheme. This brings the total distributed in Wales, over five years, to over £83 million.
6. Full lists of Charities Board’s grants are published on the internet at www.nlcb.org.uk and full lists of all Lottery distributors grants are listed at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk.

Note to Designers

1. The National Lottery Charities Board logo is the circular logo that appears on this press release. (The "crossed finger" logo is a trade mark for the National Lottery is therefore not for the Charities Board use.)