This month, 106 community groups are celebrating a share of £4,173,714 in grants from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in Wales. Many of the grants focus on encouraging communities to live healthier lives, and supporting people's physical and mental wellbeing.
Can Cook CIO in Flintshire were awarded a £97,000 grant to extend its current mobile food shop service, by purchasing and outfitting a van. The new van will help them to reach 10 new locations across north Wales, reaching up to 5,000 additional people. The shop will provide staple goods as well as healthy, fresh ready meals and cook at home meal kits.
Explaining the aims of their work, Can Cook's Social Projects Manager, Rachael Oley, said: “Our first Mobile Shop launched in January 2022 and is the corner shop that comes to you! The aim is to ensure that communities across North Wales have access to fresh and affordable food choices. The service is especially crucial to rural communities as often they have no access to a supermarket and poor food options. We provide a wide range of individual meals, slow cooker recipe bags, fruit and vegetable packs and a range of staple items. Our team are committed to building relationships within communities and providing excellent customer service.”
Meanwhile in Powys, Criw Compostio will use a £9,978 grant to deliver workshops and provide consultation support to inspire and inform individuals and groups to set up composting initiatives.
Speaking on behalf of the project, Fin Jordão said: “It's amazing to know people in mid Wales will learn about and celebrate living soil, while also eating more healthy local food grown through a genuine circular economy - thank you, National Lottery!”
Using a £9,941 grant, Circus of Positivity CIC in Newport will promote circus skills for wellbeing by creating opportunities for communities to learn and train together through a programme of workshops and shows.
Founding member Bethan Collins said: “We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for awarding us a National Lottery Awards for All grant to fund circus skills workshops in our local community. As a new Community Interest Company, the funding will help us establish and develop Circus of Positivity's offering. Our workshops are open to all ages and abilities, and aim to promote wellbeing by providing opportunities for participants to try something new, gain confidence, develop resilience and have positive experiences.”
In Swansea, Family and Therapy CIC will use a £10,000 grant to expand so that they can support more young people. The project will offer counselling services, workshops, and peer support groups to enable young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
A team member at Family and Therapy said: “We are thrilled to receive this award, which enables us to improve the mental health of young people in our Llwchwr community, by providing free counselling to those teens who are struggling. It means we can also support their families and link with other support services and organisations to ensure the holistic help that the young people receive is effective.”
A parent of a teenager receiving support from the group said: “Thank you for all the help that you have given my daughter over the last six weeks. You have helped her open up about her feelings and understand her emotions more. Her self-esteem and confidence has definitely improved and she seems so much happier since seeing you. I'm so happy that this service has been available and provided in such a wonderful environment that she has felt comfortable talking with you. Thank you so much for the work you have done with her.”
John Rose, Wales Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “It's great to see so many community groups are enabling people to come together and live healthier lives with their vital work. We are proud to recognise and support these projects' efforts, with thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £30 million a week for good causes across the UK.”