The Awards for All lottery grants programme has now given more than £10 million to groups across Wales.
Supported by the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Awards For All Wales programme has injected grants of between £500 and £5,000 into a range of heritage, charitable, environmental, health and educational projects since its launch in 2001, and is recognised as one of the quickest ways to secure lottery funding.
One group that has benefited from an Awards for All Wales grant is the Pontypridd Branch of the Royal Regiment of Wales Regimental Association. They received £3,600, which enabled a group of 50 ex-servicemen that served in Korea and Malaya to visit the National Arboretum to pay their respects to fallen comrades.
Another group to be awarded an Awards for All grant is Elite Supported Employment Agency Limited which was established in 1994 to help people with disabilities into employment. A grant of £2,600 helped pay for IT equipment which has enabled the group to provide a job hunting service for people with disabilities in their own homes, encouraging individuals to become more actively involved and ultimately improving their quality of life.
Jane Davidson AM for Pontypridd said, “As Assembly Member for Pontypridd I have been an enthusiastic supporter of this scheme since its introduction, and am keen that as many groups as possible make applications for the funding of their projects. The Awards for All Wales programme has already been extremely beneficial to a number of groups in Pontypridd, enabling them to make significant improvements to the lives of many individuals, a situation that can lead to benefits for us all.
However, there is still a great deal of money available for many other Pontypridd groups. I am therefore eager to ensure that that as many groups as possible make applications for funding so that Pontypridd receives its fair share. Indeed, as Pontypridd groups are currently underrepresented it is likely that many eligible applications will be successful.
The scheme allows not-for-profit groups, in addition to other groups such as town councils, schools and health bodies, to make applications for a wide range of heritage and community activities, as well as projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community, in a quick and easy manner. This scheme is therefore ideal for the numerous community groups to be found in Pontypridd.”
Heritage Lottery Fund Development Officer Adam Hitchings added: “I am really keen to promote Awards for All grants in Pontypridd as they have so much to offer. Small-scale grants like Awards for All Wales can build up local skills and experience enabling local groups to make a real difference in their communities.”