21 February 2001

Major Grants for North Wales.

Two Women's Aid projects in North Wales are celebrating following the latest round of Community involvement and Poverty and disadvantage grants announced by the Charities Board in Wales.

Glyndwr Women's Aid in Denbighshire provides specialist support to women and children who have suffered domestic abuse and receives a grant of £158,032 to develop support, educational and play activities for children.

Catherine Bailey, a Development Worker with the charity said: "Domestic abuse is common and extremely frightening. We have accommodated 66 children with their mothers in refuge over the last year and are very aware that the situation is traumatic for children. They often leave friends, relatives, toys and pets behind and in addition to the distress of witnessing abuse, some children may have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused themselves."

The grant will make a big difference continues Catherine: "Children are often the hidden victims in domestic abuse. We try to bring something positive into their lives but until now we have been limited in what we can provide, and desperately under-funded. This money will enable us to offer so much more."

Some of the current support activities for children include beach trips, cinema visits, swimming, pottery sessions, walks, picnics, children's meetings and talk time.

In Anglesey, Ynys Mon Women's Aid gets £155,425 to continue existing services and to develop its outreach service, particularly in rural communities. Outreach Worker Brenda Murray said: "Outreach work aims to provide practical and emotional support to women and families who have been re-housed from a refuge and also to women, with or without children, who are still living in the community and experiencing violence or abuse."

She continues: "We try to empower women to develop their self worth and to take control of their lives again. Much of our work involves linking in with other community organisations."

The grant will be used to pay staff and volunteer costs and for information, educational and promotional materials.

Elsewhere in North Wales other organisations have benefited from the latest round of main grants. Across the principality 30 organisations share a total of £4,837,711.

In Denbighshire, the Prestatyn Central Surgery Community League of Friends receives £10,000 to provide a car transport service to hospitals and other medical centres for people with no access to transport themselves.

In Maesgeirchen in Gwynedd Eglwys y Groes Community Church gets £84,890 to refurbish the church building and in Bangor the Community Development Foundation is awarded £444,571 to improve social and economic conditions in the area by strengthening community based organisations and community development work.

In Anglesey the Llanfachraeth Recreational Association gets £32,903 to provide playground and ball-play facilities for local young people and in Wrexham Chariotts receives £28,343 to purchase an additional vehicle to provide accessible community transport for disabled people.

Three other groups are also celebrating. NEWVOL based in Wrexham receives £190,933 to provide drop in offices to support carers in isolated areas across Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire and CHICS (Children's Cancer Support Group) based in Denbighshire and serving all of North Wales gets £31,861 to provide a community vehicle to transport group members to meetings and hospital appointments and for holiday transport.

In total more than £109 million has been distributed to voluntary groups by the Charities Board in Wales to tackle poverty and promote community involvement.

Groups seeking application forms for Charities Board main grants or further information should call : 0845 791 9191 (English) or 0845 727 3273 (Welsh).

Note to editors:

1. For media enquiries or group contact numbers please call Debbie on 01352 700208.
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 awarded by the Wales Committee. Board Members in Wales are Elisabeth Watkins (Chairman), Jeff Carroll and Rhiannon Bevan. 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 £104 million to 1050 groups in Wales. Over £5.4 million has been awarded to 1,993 groups under the Small grants scheme. This brings the total distributed in Wales, over five years, to over £109 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).