Over £9.5 million in National Lottery grants this month supports communities across Wales

This month 196 community groups have been awarded a share of £9,634,929 of National Lottery funding. Thanks to National Lottery players, these grants bring communities together across Wales, including offering practical support for people with disabilities.

One of the groups awarded this month was Sight Life in Cardiff. The charity offers support and advice to those with sight loss in South Wales. Their £9,999 grant means they can work with visually impaired people to co-design online learning resources. The planned resources will increase understanding of sight loss issues among the wider community. They will include concise videos describing the most common sight loss conditions which will aid in myth busting perceptions around sight loss and encourage family, friends and carers to access partner services for support.

Richard Harvey, CEO of Sight Life, said:  “We are delighted, and extremely grateful, to have received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for our One Vision project. This will allow Sight Life to develop a web-based, video library, of case studies. These will outline people’s experience of sight loss and describe how early intervention and peer support via Sight Life has helped them improve their wellbeing. We will also develop an interactive newsletter which will assist in capturing essential data on the needs and well-being of our community members. This will assist in guiding and transforming our outreach.”   

In Ceredgion, Tir Coed received a £9,950 grant to create a community garden and allotment at Hwb Penparcau. This will be where local people can socialise whilst learning about nature and growing their own food. The project will help increase people's resilience to the cost of living crisis by enabling them to produce their own food. It will also encourage people to improve their wellbeing through active engagement with nature and each other.

Al Prichard, Ceredigion Mentor, Tir Coed expressed their excitement about receiving the funding, saying: “We are so pleased to be delivering a food, growing and volunteering project in partnership with Penparcau Community Hub to develop their community garden. It will provide fresh food resources for the community and educational opportunities for both adults and children to be able to see where their food comes from. This project will be a great opportunity for residents to participate in the planting, upkeep and harvesting of the food crops. We’re looking forward to making a difference to the wider community and getting our spades in the ground this spring!”

In Wrexham, Groundwork North Wales received a £9,983 grant to hold their Pedal Power Parade event, celebrating the 100th Bike Week this summer. The parade is intended to encourage people to participate in cycling or walking to help improve their wellbeing. They will partner with local charities Cycling4All and Refurbs who will donate broken bikes to be decorated by the local community and displayed around Alyn Waters Country Park. These decorated bikes will create the trail for the parade, with people encouraged to cycle or walk to spot all the decorated bikes. At the end of the Parade there will be a celebratory picnic in the park.

Hanna Clarke Group, Head of Marketing and Events at Groundwork North Wales, said: “We are looking forward to getting local groups and businesses creative and decorating a bike that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. The Pedal Power Parade will provide an exciting opportunity for the community to celebrate and support creativity, connect people with the community and to get outdoors and get active”.

In Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cwm Taf People First received a £9,981 grant to provide visual aid resources for members of the disabled community to show them the facilities available at parks, outdoor and nature venues in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent. The group say that insufficient information available on accessibility in parks and other outdoor venues means that disabled people will not be able to fully understand if the facilities are suitable for their needs. This means many disabled people miss out on interacting with nature and outdoor spaces which can improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

Lee Jones, Stepping out into Nature Project co-ordinator at Cwm Taf People First, said: “We are thrilled to receive this funding to be able to assist our community to enhance their relationship with our natural environment. This project is essential to encourage adults with a disability who have previously had little or no engagement with the outdoor environment and its health and wellbeing impacts. They will be able to engage in a meaningful way, especially after the health deterioration many of our community members faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The project was created through the desire of our members to get together in an outdoor environment and thanks to the funding from The National Lottery Community Fund we will now be able to create a programme of activities that is co-produced with our community to meet their needs and desires.”

John Rose, Wales Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, celebrated all the organisations, saying:  “We are proud to be the largest funder of community activity in the UK.  We support grassroots groups and charities doing amazing things. The Fund is dedicated to supporting projects that bring people together to support their communities, create stronger social connections and help develop new skills. National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes like these throughout the UK”

These are just some of of the 196 projects awarded a total of £9,634,929 of National Lottery Funding. The full list of grants awarded is attached, to find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk

ENDS