Community project keeping Dover’s young carers connected and creative during COVID lockdown thanks to National Lottery grant

• Dover Smart Project is one of three community projects in Dover to receive a share of over £19,000 in National Lottery funding over the past month

A community project in Dover that brings creativity and art to the lives of vulnerable people has received new National Lottery funding to deliver a programme of support for young carers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dover Smart Project usually offers a range of creative activities and experiences to people across the town to boost their confidence and wellbeing, supporting school groups, people living with dementia, people at risk of loneliness and hospice patients and their families. But since being forced to cancel its face to face sessions, the dedicated team have focused efforts on supporting young carers during these difficult times.

With a grant of nearly £9,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, the project is sending out weekly creative care packages to young carers. These include artistic activities and projects they can get stuck into, along with the materials needed to complete them. So far, the packs have included forget-me not-seeds, soil and pots, family newspaper kits, matchbox museums, Easter egg hunt kits and VE Day bunting kits.

Dover Smart has also produced a smart wellbeing guide to help young carers process their feelings and share with their families, which also includes important sources of additional support, such as ChildLine, foodbanks and other local services.

A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps look after someone who is ill, disabled or misuses substances. Estimates suggest there could be up to 800,000 young carers in the UK*.

For many vulnerable people in the city, Dover Smart Project is usually one of their few lifelines and the only social engagement they have. With this is mind, the project has also set-up a new Facebook group called 'smART Social' and is encouraging members of the community to share their positive messages and all things upbeat to help others get through these difficult times.

Laura Graham, CEO at Dover Smart Project, said: “During this crisis we have been focused on the mental health and wellbeing of our young carers, and done this through creativity, which is what we do best. With funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, we have been able to send our young carers weekly creative care packages. This has ensured they still feel connected to us at this time of crisis and has increased their wellbeing and let them know we are still there for them.”

Dover Smart Project is one of three community groups in the town to receive a share of more than £19,000 last month from The National Lottery Community Fund. This funding, raised by National Lottery players, is part of the comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million, recently unveiled by National Lottery distributors as a whole, going to charities and organisations supporting communities, the arts, heritage, education, environment and sports.

Helen Bushell, Head of Funding for the South and East of England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “It has been heartening to see how communities in the South East have been responding to the crisis. Dover Smart is just one of the many projects, from grassroots groups to larger charities, working tirelessly to support their community through these extremely difficult times.

“National Lottery players can be proud that the money they’ve raised is making a real difference at a time when it is most needed. We will carry on getting vital funding out to charities and voluntary sector organisations, so they can step up to overcome obstacles caused by the pandemic and help their community to rebuild and recover in the future.”

The COVID-19 crisis has sparked an influx of groups seeking funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to support their communities through these times. Overall, compared to the same time last year**, requests for funding have increased by 55%, while visits to the funder’s website have shot up by 47%. The most apparent spike in applications has been for smaller grants, with requests for funding up to £10,000 increasing by 51% year-on-year.

Going forward, The National Lottery Community Fund will continue to prioritise getting funding to groups best placed to support their communities at this vital time and also towards those seeking to rebuild as the crisis abates.

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year it awarded £1.4 million a day on average to projects that help people and communities thrive.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk