COVID-19: More than £830,000 of National Lottery funding awarded to North East & Cumbria community projects since June

Charities and community groups across the North East & Cumbria have been awarded more than £830,000 of National Lottery funding since the beginning of June – providing crucial support to overcome challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

This vital funding is being distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. This latest boost now means that, thanks to National Lottery players, over £21 million of funding has been awarded to more than 750 projects in England since the beginning of June.

In this latest round of grant-giving, 32 community projects in the North East & Cumbria are receiving a share, ranging from free transport to hospital appointments for older people, to online singing lessons to help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Beyond Limits, a charity that operates in County Durham is one of the good causes stepping up to support people during this challenging time. It has been almost £20,000 of National Lottery funding to provide isolated members of the community with access to technological devices so that they can join in with online singing sessions provided by the charity. The aim is to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation and help encourage feelings of connectivity with others.

More than just carrying a tune, the singing sessions have proven to have several benefits to individuals, such as the social aspect of dialling in to group sessions, as well as the physical benefits like mastering breathing control, which can help reduce feelings of anxiety.

The charity, set up by Founder Susan Sadler, operates from a discrete location which acts as a retreat and safe-haven for individuals seeking help and assistance, working with anyone in poverty or distress by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantages. They provide the facilities to allow individuals and families to spend time away from home to reconnect with themselves, their families or with others. *TAKEN FROM THEIR WEBSITE*

Susan Sadler, Founder of Beyond Limits, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we have been able to purchase several iPad’s which allow our service users to access our video sessions, such as the singing lessons. Not only has this meant they are still having social interaction, but it also means they can continue to reap the health benefits the singing sessions provide such as breath control.

“The work we do here at Beyond Limits is vital within our community. We have members of the community who are vulnerable and lonely and simply need a place to go and join in with activities to make them feel less isolated. The need for support has become even more vital since the Covid-19 lockdown.”

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Funding for the North East & Cumbria at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “The National Lottery is playing a critical role in supporting people, projects and communities during these challenging times. Groups such as Beyond Limits are making an amazing contribution to the community-level response. We’re incredibly grateful for their dedication and the hard work of thousands of projects across the UK – we’re humbled by their efforts and delighted that our funding is able to help.”

Since May, The National Lottery Community Fund has also been responsible for distributing £200 million on behalf of Government through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund. This fund will close to new applications on 16th August. Local groups wishing to know more should visit www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year we awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, and supported over 14,000 projects to turn their great ideas into reality and make a difference in their communities.

Across all of the National Lottery distributors, £600 million has been made available to support communities throughout the UK during the coronavirus outbreak. Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for the UK’s good causes, and £41 billion has been distributed to 565,000 good causes across the UK since 1994.