£284,000 National Lottery funding to build peer support for Milton Keynes’ young people at risk of self-harm

Mental health charity Service Six has received nearly £284,000 to support even more local young people at risk of self-harm in Milton Keynes and Newport Pagnell.

This vital funding comes from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.

Through its OPAL project, Service Six will bring young people together in a safe environment and give them the opportunity to build a peer support network, reduce their isolation and allow them to be their authentic selves.

One parent whose son was supported by Service Six said: “We felt Kerry and Katie [at Service Six] grasped our situation very quickly, they understood and cared about us. They supported our son so his voice could be heard, and he was always at the centre of their care. We are very grateful to them for being there for us all during a difficult time.”

Local young people will be provided with the opportunity to gain skills and tools to reduce self-harming and live happier and healthier lives. All aspects of the project are led and informed by the young people with lived experience.

Service Six also provides young people with training to become champions to support their peers.

Katie Byrne, Milton Keynes Service Manager for Service Six, said: “Young people can often feel like they must keep their struggles hidden, but being around other like-minded people of a similar age really helps them to flourish.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding will massively increase the number of young people we can reach. There aren’t many services of this type that can support young people at this base level. Early intervention is really key.”

The funding announcement follows recent news that The National Lottery Community Fund has doubled the amount and duration of grants grassroots communities can apply for through its flagship funding programme, National Lottery Awards for All.

With a new maximum award of £20,000 and two-year grant term, this significant change supports the funder’s ambition to invest most in places, people and communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination. Read its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, to find out more. Helen Bushell, Head of Regional Funding for London, the South East and East of England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We’re delighted to award funding to such an impressive range of local groups and projects, like Service Six, all supporting their communities in many different and vital ways. It’s great to see the passion and dedication of staff and volunteers coming together to improve the lives of local people and families during some particularly challenging times.”

Over 300 charities and community groups across the South East of England have been awarded over £15 million of National Lottery funding over the last quarter. The South East isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that almost £118 million has been distributed to almost 2,400 community organisations across England over the last quarter.*

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.

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

Date published: 12 March, 2024
Region: England (South East)

Notes to Editors

* These figures are for funding awarded from 25th November 2023 and 24th February 2024.

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4bn of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.

Reaching Communities England

Offers a larger amount of funding (over £20,001) for projects that last up to five years. We’re looking for projects that work with their community – whether that’s a community living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences.