Tyne and Wear community groups celebrate £2 million National Lottery funding injection

Community groups and organisations across Tyne and Wear are celebrating today after receiving almost £2 million of National Lottery funding for their important work supporting local communities in areas including Newcastle, Gateshead and South Shields.

This vital funding has been awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

In Gateshead, The Josephine and Jack Project has received almost £155,000 to expand its work empowering people with learning disabilities with fundamental life skills to help them create loving relationships, and navigate health and personal safety issues.

By using life-size anatomically accurate cloth figures, named Josephine and Jack, the unique project helps participants explore sensitive and practical topics during its courses. This includes sexuality, important health checks – such as going for a smear test - and relationships.

Support service North East Dads and Lads is using its £110,000 funding boost for its work with young fathers and expectant dads. The project helps its members to nurture fulfilling relationships with their children, while also improving their future prospects through workshops and programmes on employability and personal and social development.

The funding will help the project recruit two young fathers to provide befriending, peer mentoring, education, and support to fathers under the age of 25 living in Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley, enabling them to thrive.

Responding to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, South Shields Surf C.I.C has been given almost £7,000 of National Lottery funding. The group will provide young people who have special educational needs, and social emotional behavioural difficulties, with surfing, paddle boarding and snorkelling lessons, alongside mentoring, to improve their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Simon James, Chief Executive at The Josephine and Jack Project, said: “Thank you so much to National Lottery players for the amazing support. It means that our tiny charity can continue to develop and grow our vital work supporting people with learning disabilities in the North East and Cumbria and further afield, with some financial security – something we’ve not had before.”

Kevin Stoodley, CEO and Founder of North East Young Dads and Lads, said: "Whilst young mothers are often viewed as vulnerable and in need of support, young dads and expectant fathers in our region are commonly seen as a risk rather than a resource to their children, forcing them to confront the pressures of navigating family, partner and peer relationships, new adult responsibilities and changing identities alone. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are now able to extend our service provision for this long overlooked and much neglected community of young men.”

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Funding for the North East and Cumbria at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will have a huge impact on people’s lives across Tyne and Wear. Now two years on from the start of COVID-19 pandemic and what has been an incredibly challenging time for people across the UK, groups like The Josephine and Jack Project and North East Young Dads and Lads, are continuing to step up to help their communities build back stronger.

“We’re proud to support people to come together and build community spirit during a momentous year that includes the UK’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games and commemorating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”

Tyne and Wear isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced almost £8 million has been awarded to groups across the North East and Cumbria, while £90 million has been distributed to over 2,700 community organisations across England in the past three months*.

Thanks to National Lottery players, this will fund things that matter to communities, such as economic prosperity, employment, young people, mental health, loneliness and helping the UK reach net zero by 2050.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week across the UK for good causes. The National Lottery Community Fund as a distributor ensures a share of this funding goes straight to communities, helping them to tackle important issues such as supporting young people into employment, mental health and climate action.

In the last 12 months it has given out nearly £600 million to 12,500 organisations reaching every local authority and constituency in the UK.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk