CHARITIES and community groups across Coventry have been awarded more than £1.6million from the National Lottery.
As well as the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC), other big winners include Aptitude Organisation CIC, Bardsley Youth Project, The Roma Project and Voluntary Action Coventry.
Aptitude’s Youth Work Programme will receive £377,811 to deliver a community youth programme and mentoring opportunities to benefit young disadvantaged people, aged between nine and 21. They will be referred by a partner agency care service, parent or school so they can access group mentoring youth clubs and a session helping them make the right life choices.
Bardsley Youth Project has been awarded £245,151 for its Moving On Up project which will provide support coaching and opportunities for young people, aged 16 to 25, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The charity will be able to reach out to schools and colleges to support more young people through its preventative work.
Voluntary Action Coventry has been granted £224,914 for ‘Chat Central’ – a project which links people with shared interests through conversations and group activities. It is aimed at breaking down barriers and supporting people experiencing isolation so they can access voluntary opportunities and community activity, giving them confidence to form new social connections and relationships.
The Roma Project’s £232,350 will fund support for people with ‘settled status’ to help them improve their mental wellbeing, reduce financial hardship and encourage Covid-19 vaccinations.
Elsewhere, the Dome of Grace International Church will use its £10,000 for ‘Breaking the Mental Health Stigma within the BAME community’. It will fund community coffee mornings, barbecue days and physical activities, the creation of a youth allotment, delivering cooking workshops and providing volunteer opportunities.
Normandy Day UK has £10,000 to be used on a Coventry Peace Orchard activity programme, focusing on outdoor eco art therapy. Activities include a street art bug bee, building a bat hotel, seed bombing, nature painting, vegetable fermenting, outdoor yoga and guided nature walks.
The Light House (Christian Care Ministry) Trust Ltd’s Thrive and Shine programme will offer counselling support to individuals in and around Coventry and surrounding areas.
The £10,000 will help address the referral rate for counselling which has increased since the pandemic.
Hope Coventry CIO receives £9,655 for a men’s mental health programme, Coventry AIMHS gets £9,000 to improve access to online resources for people living with mental illness and the House of Empowerment International Ministry will restart its over-50s luncheon club with its £9,500.
Sky Blues in the Community will use its £9,978 for supporting people with dementia and their carers, the Somali Cultural Resource Centre receives £9,982 to provide information through videos and leaflets on Covid-19 and the Spon Gate Community Project gets £9,990 to support black people in Coventry disproportionately affected by coronavirus.
Settlement Support CIC’s £9,900 will help disadvantaged immigrants, the Hadiza Foundation will use its £9,855 to raise Type 2 Diabetes among the African community and the Broad Street Meeting Hall Ltd, which has received £9,996, will help improve physical, mental and emotional health among the BAME community through ‘Wellness Junction’.
And Young Beacons Ltd, which has £8,836, will help improve literacy in the BAME community.
