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| HOMEPAGEABOUT USNEWS |
9 February 2004
Countryside Communities are winning the Lottery
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People living in rural communities across England are noticing a real difference thanks to Lottery money they have so far received from the Countryside Communities scheme, run by the Community Fund and the Countryside Agency.
In the first year of this five-year scheme, £1.6 million has already been awarded to disadvantaged rural areas that had not had their fair share of Community Fund money. But there’s still £14.6 million available in our grants budget for some 300 rural communities over the next four years.
As well as local projects in these areas, £2.2 million has also been earmarked for projects that will make a wider impact on rural communities right across the country. A useful booklet, giving details of the scheme and examples of grants already funded, has been published and is being promoted in conjunction with the UKVillages website, where a banner will appear from today so that people in Countryside Communities areas can enter their details and be contacted by Community Fund offices directly. Diana Brittan, Chair of the Community Fund, said, “In just one year, Countryside Communities has made an enormous difference to many people’s lives. Our grants are helping to expand much-needed services and preserve buildings that are the heart and soul of community life - from village halls to Citizens Advice services and youth projects to community transport services. Our grants are helping to reduce isolation, prevent crime and create community spirit among those living in rural areas. “We recognise that in many rural communities there is still considerable disadvantage and we want to support those in greatest need, be they old, young, young families or people with disabilities. We still have £14.6 million available for Countryside Communities areas, so I would urge people to think about what they want to do for their community and encourage them to apply for a grant.” Countryside Communities operates in eight local authority areas, which were identified as not having had their fair share of Lottery money. The areas are: King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Fenland and North Norfolk in the Eastern region; Boston and West Lindsey in the East Midlands; Shepway and Dover in the South East; and Sedgemoor in the South West. This initiative is in addition to the on-going fair share scheme, which the Community Fund runs in co-operation with another Lottery distributor, the New Opportunities Fund, and which targets 77 deprived areas – both urban and rural – throughout the whole of the UK. In spring 2004, the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund will merge to form a new single lottery distributor. This will establish the biggest National Lottery distributor delivering half of all good cause funding to communities across the UK. Notes for Editors
1. Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities, voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence. 2. Since 1995 Community Fund has awarded over 59,000 grants worth more than £2.7 billion to UK charities and voluntary groups. 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 operation name to Community Fund – Lottery money making a difference in April 2001. 4. This year the Community Fund is to merge with the New Opportunities Fund in advance of creating a new National Lottery distributor that will administer 50 per cent of all good cause funding. The merger will not affect current programmes, beneficiaries or applications. Further details on the new lottery distributor are expected to be available in Spring 2004. 5. The New Opportunities Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK. We intend to support sustainable projects that will improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK, address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society, encourage community participation and complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes. (Funding for programmes is divided between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the basis of population weighted to reflect levels of deprivation). 6. The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising Government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside. For more information visit their website by clicking on the link above. 7. The UKVillages website (see above link) was launched in April 2000 and has a free website for every single village, town, city and suburb in the UK, allowing communities to share information on local events. The site currently generates 13.5 million page impressions per month. | For media enquiries please contact the Community Fund press office on 020 7747 5352.
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