An innovative project to help older people rejoin the workforce is among seven projects across the capital today sharing in close to £2.1 million from Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme.

Debbie Pippard, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for London, said: “Today’s announcements are excellent examples of how the Reaching Communities programme is bringing positive changes to so many people in the capital. Whether it be health, training or community cohesion, these initiatives make a real difference in helping to improve the prospects and general well being of people from all walks of life across the London region.”

Celebrating the contribution that age and experience can bring to potential employers, Age Concern London has secured £482,033 of good cause funding this month to help over 50s back into employment through their brand new Over 50s Self Advocacy Employment Programme.

Samantha Mauger, Chief Executive of Age Concern London, said: “We are working with older people to enable them to navigate themselves around employment and training opportunities. Current services just don’t give people the depth of support they need, particularly when you consider that some people over the age of 50 haven’t undergone further training since they left school.

“Funding this kind of project will benefit the whole community by bringing skills and money into their own areas, something we hope to demonstrate to other London boroughs. It’s excellent news for us and we’re really excited to have the opportunity.”

Built around an earlier pilot scheme, the programme is now set to provide a range of practical support to older people from Bromley, Camden, Enfield and Islington including IT training, CV writing, practical advice, and identifying transferable skills, skills gaps and training needs. They will also offer ongoing support to allow clients to identify and overcome personal barriers to rejoining the workforce and aim to educate potential employers of older people to the benefits, and age discrimination laws.

Receiving nearly £500,000 this month is Resources for Autism that will establish a new project ‘Breaking the Barriers of Isolation/Developing Links’ to provide a wide range of services for people with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) of all ages.

People with ASC have difficulty with communication, interaction, imagination, and flexible thinking and may find interacting with others and coping in group situations difficult, often leading to severe isolation. As a result many people living with this condition are also victims of bullying or anti social behaviour.

The group will offer tailored support packages that could include play/youth/holiday clubs, art and music therapy, volunteer support in their home, transition groups, parent support, information and signposting. They hope to reach around 2,000 people over the five year project and aim to provide a further 3,600 people with information and advice.

Liza Dresner, Director for Resources for Autism, said: “The autism community is one that is often both hidden and isolated. This grant will enable Resources for Autism to develop our practical support services for both children and adults at all points on the spectrum.

“The funding will make it possible for us to replicate our highly successful model of specialist play and youth provision in parts of London we have previously been unable to serve and to extend the groups and resources we offer to adults. Five years of funding means that we can make a huge impact in areas that have little or no provision, changing the lives of individuals and families.”

Also getting the green light for good cause funding in the capital this month is The Family Planning Association’s ‘Safer Sexual Health Choices for Homeless Young People’. The project will use their funding of £324,473 to offer sexual health courses to young homeless people as this group have been found to have a significantly higher chance of contracting sexually transmitted infections and are less likely to access public health facilities.

Havering Crossroads Limited are set to use their £322,117 to develop a Specialist Dementia Home Support Service, providing support to carers of dementia sufferers, allowing them to have a break. And the Kentish Town Community Centre will Create Links with a £136,395 grant, increasing the scope of the centre and offering new activities including cultural festivals.

A new project developed by the London Ecumenical AIDS Trust based in Lambeth and Southwark, have received £163,205 to provide a practical and emotional support service to men, women and families living with HIV/AIDS through their 'Someone to Watch Over Me' project. And City And Hackney Association For Mental Health (CHAMH) will use a grant of £178,000 to develop their trauma counselling project, focusing especially, but not exclusively, on refugees and asylum seekers who may have been subject to torture, witnessed killing or suffered sexual abuse, and will also offer support to those that have suffered domestic violence, crime or racism.

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £20 billion has now been raised and more than 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.