Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, met with officers from the organisation.
The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. They distribute money raised by the National Lottery to thousands of organisations across the UK which help communities make the changes they want to see, and better the lives of the people who live in them.
Since introducing their People in the Lead Strategic Framework in 2015, the Fund has been placing people and communities at the heart of their grant making. Last year the Big Lottery Fund gave out over half a billion pounds of National Lottery funding to community projects across the UK. More than 11,000 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life.
Their approach to grant-making focuses on the skills, assets and energy that people bring, and the potential in their ideas. They passionately believe that communities thrive when people are in the lead.
Their projects in South Staffordshire include:
Holly Lane Nursery Ltd - £9,836 awarded in December 2018 for 12 months
This funding is being used to build an outdoor play area for young children and their families, which aims to encourage outdoor activities to people in a built up area.
Gee Healthcare - £9,400 awarded in December 2018 for 12 months
This funding is being used to provide social activities for older people, aiming to address social isolation by building new relationships.
Wombourne Parish Council - £10,000 awarded in December 2018 for 12 months
This funding is being used to install new play equipment at the park for young children and toddlers, to create an inclusive space for the community.
Landywood Primary School - £10,000 awarded in March 2018 for 12 months
This school set up a cyber café as a meeting place for families and community groups, where they can socialise and gain IT skills while building new relationships.
Commenting, Gavin said: "It was a pleasure meeting with officers from the National Lottery Fund to discuss their plans for South Staffordshire. The organisation does some fantastic work across the UK and I look forward to seeing the impact of this on a local level when their plans are implemented".