171202 Community Fund research grants to help young people and those with mental ill health

In all £1,325,886 has been awarded to eight voluntary organisations working in partnership with university research departments.

The organisations to benefit from this innovative programme today are: Bogside and Brandywell Women's Group in Northern Ireland, Burden Neurological Institute, Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services, Nottingham Mencap, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal Mencap Society, the Samantha Dickson Research Trust and Self Help Nottingham.

The Samantha Dickson Research Trust receives £105,204 to research how brain and spinal tumours in children can be diagnosed earlier. Currently, this is the second most common type of childhood cancer, after leukaemia, and is the most difficult to diagnose. Survival rates are low - affected children only have a 25 per cent chance of surviving five years - early diagnosis should improve these figures.

The Trust was set up after Samantha Dickson died from a malignant brain tumour the week before her seventeenth birthday. Chairman of the Trust and Samantha's father, Neil Dickson, said: "We are indebted to the Community Fund for their support, which enables us to fund this very important work. If earlier diagnosis is achieved it will improve the survival rates in children with brain cancer, and reduce problems associated with memory, concentration and thinking processes associated with late diagnosis.

"This project is very close to our hearts as it took nine months before Sam was diagnosed. It is only through research like this that other children will be prevented from suffering such a late diagnosis and the inevitable consequences."

Also benefiting is the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who receive £161,738 to research the isolation faced by people with serious mental illness. The project, over three years, will be undertaken by the College's Research Unit, working closely with First Step Trust, an organisation that provides work opportunities for people with mental health problems. The researchers will immerse themselves in the everyday lives of these people, in order to get an insider's view of the isolation they face and the ways they cope with this.

Alan Quirk, Research Fellow at the College's Research Unit, said: "Fifty years ago most people with a severe and enduring mental illness would have lived in a large psychiatric hospital. Since then, more than three-quarters of psychiatric beds in the UK have closed and those that remain are now for short-term treatment. This means that as many as 150,000 people who would have lived in hospital now live in the community.

"Previous research shows that one of the major downsides of this is the isolation experienced by this group, leading some people to argue that community care has failed. If it is to work, it is essential that policy makers and mental health professionals have a much better understanding of the nature of the social environment that has, for many people, replaced the fixed structures of an 'old-style' psychiatric hospital. This is what we are aiming to provide with this research."

Lady Brittan, Chair of the Community Fund said: "We are pleased to be giving money to these worthwhile medical and social research charities, for instance to the Samantha Dickson Research Trust. It is very distressing for parents of children diagnosed with brain and spinal tumours. Our money will be well spent researching early diagnosis.

"We believe that good research getting to the root of problems themselves is essential. Our awards today emphasise our commitment to researching new solutions to help those most in need."

Notes for editors

1. A full list of today's grants is available from Community Fund's website at www.community-fund.org.uk or by calling one of the above numbers.

2. The Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities and to voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence.

3. The legal name of the Community Fund remains the National Lottery Charities Board. The National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1994 and changed its operating name to Community Fund - Lottery money making a difference in April 2001.

4. The Community Fund's Research Grants Programme funds research activities in the areas of health and social well-being. The programme is continuous, focuses on social inclusion and has an annual budget of around £8m.

	17 December 2002 Community Fund research grants to help young people and those with mental ill health
	Young people and people with mental ill health are among those to benefit from £1.3 million of Lottery grants announced today under the Community Fund's Research grants programme. In all £1,325,886 has been awarded to eight voluntary organisations working in partnership with university research departments. The organisations to benefit from this innovative programme today are: Bogside and Brandywell Women's Group in Northern Ireland, Burden Neurological Institute, Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services, Nottingham Mencap, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal Mencap Society, the Samantha Dickson Research Trust and Self Help Nottingham. The Samantha Dickson Research Trust receives £105,204 to research how brain and spinal tumours in children can be diagnosed earlier. Currently, this is the second most common type of childhood cancer, after leukaemia, and is the most difficult to diagnose. Survival rates are low - affected children only have a 25 per cent chance of surviving five years - early diagnosis should improve these figures. The Trust was set up after Samantha Dickson died from a malignant brain tumour the week before her seventeenth birthday. Chairman of the Trust and Samantha's father, Neil Dickson, said: "We are indebted to the Community Fund for their support, which enables us to fund this very important work. If earlier diagnosis is achieved it will improve the survival rates in children with brain cancer, and reduce problems associated with memory, concentration and thinking processes associated with late diagnosis. "This project is very close to our hearts as it took nine months before Sam was diagnosed. It is only through research like this that other children will be prevented from suffering such a late diagnosis and the inevitable consequences." Also benefiting is the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who receive £161,738 to research the isolation faced by people with serious mental illness. The project, over three years, will be undertaken by the College's Research Unit, working closely with First Step Trust, an organisation that provides work opportunities for people with mental health problems. The researchers will immerse themselves in the everyday lives of these people, in order to get an insider's view of the isolation they face and the ways they cope with this. Alan Quirk, Research Fellow at the College's Research Unit, said: "Fifty years ago most people with a severe and enduring mental illness would have lived in a large psychiatric hospital. Since then, more than three-quarters of psychiatric beds in the UK have closed and those that remain are now for short-term treatment. This means that as many as 150,000 people who would have lived in hospital now live in the community. "Previous research shows that one of the major downsides of this is the isolation experienced by this group, leading some people to argue that community care has failed. If it is to work, it is essential that policy makers and mental health professionals have a much better understanding of the nature of the social environment that has, for many people, replaced the fixed structures of an 'old-style' psychiatric hospital. This is what we are aiming to provide with this research." Lady Brittan, Chair of the Community Fund said: "We are pleased to be giving money to these worthwhile medical and social research charities, for instance to the Samantha Dickson Research Trust. It is very distressing for parents of children diagnosed with brain and spinal tumours. Our money will be well spent researching early diagnosis. "We believe that good research getting to the root of problems themselves is essential. Our awards today emphasise our commitment to researching new solutions to help those most in need." Notes for editors 1. A full list of today's grants is available from Community Fund's website at www.community-fund.org.uk or by calling one of the above numbers. 2. The Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities and to voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence. 3. The legal name of the Community Fund remains the National Lottery Charities Board. The National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1994 and changed its operating name to Community Fund - Lottery money making a difference in April 2001. 4. The Community Fund's Research Grants Programme funds research activities in the areas of health and social well-being. The programme is continuous, focuses on social inclusion and has an annual budget of around £8m.		Media enquiries Community Fund: Boni Sones or Jane Rogers on 020 7747 5352 Samantha Dickson Research Trust: Neil Dickson on 01252 627426 Royal College of Psychiatrists: Alan Quirk on 020 7227 0831