BIG investment in Kidderminster!
At least £1 million of Lottery good cause funding is to go into
the Horsefair, Broadwaters and Greenhill areas of Kidderminster as
the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) announces the first 50 areas across
England to benefit from its Big Local Trust programme.
BIG is investing up to £200 million over the next ten years to
help turn up to 150 urban and rural neighbourhoods into better
places for everyone to live.
The targeted neighbourhoods have all been selected following
extensive analysis and discussion and are all places where people
face many social obstacles and have a history of difficulty in
obtaining resources, including funding from BIG, to help overcome
them.
Councillor John Campion, Leader of Wyre Forest District Council
said
"This is fantastic news for Kidderminster and a massive boost
for residents of Horsefair Broadwaters and Greenhill who will see
real improvements in their neighbourhoods as a result of this
investment."
John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the West
Midlands, said:
"The Big Local Trust is a dedicated Lottery funding stream
to help people in places such as Horsefair, Broadwaters and
Greenhill to identify local issues and to develop the skills and
confidence necessary to change things for the better.
"We hope that by securing funding for the long-term and by
offering a commitment to providing dedicated local support, the Big
Local Trust will bring lasting positive changes to Horsefair,
Broadwaters and Greenhill and their residents."
An independent charitable trust will be set up to run the
programme and today BIG is calling for expressions of interest from
organisations who wish to apply to run the Trust. Organisations
interested in becoming a Trustee are being asked to contact BIG by
Thursday 12 August 2010.
In the meantime BIG will be working with a wide range of local
organisations in each of the first 50 neighbourhoods. At least 50
more areas across England will be selected by BIG in the next 12 to
18 months to benefit from the programme.
The programme builds on BIG's commitment to pioneering flexible,
long-term and locally determined approaches such as the Fair Share
Trust programme, which since 2002, has been investing £50 million
in 77 neighbourhoods across the UK.
For a full list of areas please visit The Big Lottery Fund
website.
Date of issue - 27th July 2010
