Over £1.7 Million in National Lottery grants for communities across Wales

71 community groups have been awarded a share of £1,750,932 of National Lottery funding. Thanks to National Lottery players, these grants bring communities together across Wales. The grants include offering practical support for people with additional needs and autism, address social isolation and support people from extended families caring for children.

Wildernest Care Farm CIC based in Lampeter, Dyfed. This community group offers invaluable support to young people and adults with additional needs and autism, running bespoke sessions in horticulture, animal care and crafts. Currently, they are only able to provide their services to very few participants at any time due to parking restrictions. Their £9,640 National Lottery grant award will allow them to construct a vehicle hardstanding which will allow them to cater to more participants at a time with adequate parking for all.

Isabel Crawford, the director of Wildernest Care Farm CIC said: “Wildernest Care Farm aims to engage and empower young people and adults with additional needs and autism through craft, animal care and horticulture. We are delighted to receive funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. The grant will create additional parking onsite allowing us to support and welcome more participants and hold open days."

In Gwynedd, Deiniolen Village Committee are working towards making Deiniolen a better place to live for the locals by creating opportunities to hold events in the local area, providing children, young people, and adults alike with a space to visit, socialise and take part in events and activities held by local people, for local people. Their £10,000 grant award from the National Lottery will allow them to pay for additional staff to cover events in the local area, rent and utilities for a space in the community as well as costs for promotion, activities, and refreshments.

Lyndsey Vaughan Pleming, Chair of the Deiniolen Village Committee said: "The Deiniolen Village Committee is extremely proud to receive this grant from the National Lottery Community Fund. It will be a big boost for us to develop services and resources that are really needed here in the village of Deiniolen. The area's most valuable resource is the people, and together we can 'Wake up Deiniolen' - and ensure the best for the people who live here now and for future generations. Onward - with each other!”

In Rhondda Cynon Taf, Grandparents Plus (Kinship) want to be able to provide a support and advice line for Kinship Carers in Wales, supporting them through the cost-of-living crisis and other worries they may have regarding their caring duties. Their £10,000 National Lottery grant will allow them to pay the salary of a bilingual advisor that will help provide support to up to 135 families currently using Kinship care in Wales, ensuring that the children and their carers receive adequate emotional support through difficulties and hardships.

Deborah Smith the Development Manager for Grandparents Plus (Kinship) in Wales, said: “We can’t thank the National Lottery Community Fund Wales enough for helping to fund Sian, our part-time Advice Worker, Sian, who provides essential support to kinship families throughout Wales. An estimated 9,560 children live in kinship care across Wales. 60% of children in kinship care in Wales are living in the poorest 40% of areas (Spotlight on Kinship Care, 2011) and the current cost-of-living crisis is having a devastating impact. Sian is bilingual, which enables us to offer families the vital, free, and confidential support and advice they need in the language of their choice.”

The Terrence Higgins Trust Cymru based in Swansea plan to create a bilingual website to ensure that people who speak Welsh are able to access services and advice online regarding sexual health and HIV in their language of choice, something that is currently unavailable and will help support those who feel more comfortable speaking in their native language. Their £10,000 grant award from The National Lottery will allow them to launch the bilingual website whilst also covering translation costs and marketing for the group.

Rhys Goode, Head of The Terrance Higgins Trust Cymru, said: “We are thrilled to have received funding from the National Lottery to create a specific web presence for our Wales based services and THT Cymru. It’s so exciting to be able to offer advice and information about sexual health and HIV in Wales native language for the first time. We have lots of ambitious plans in Wales, and this support will help us kick-start the project.”

John Rose, Wales Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, celebrated all the organisations saying: “We are incredibly proud to be the largest funder of community activity in the UK, 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. It’s thanks to National Lottery players who raise over £30 million each week that we are able to continue supporting good causes like these throughout the UK”.   

These are just some of the 71 projects awarded a total of £1,750,932 of National Lottery Funding.