TEN communities across Powys are celebrating as they are among more than 100 in Wales sharing over £4 million of lottery grant money.
Projects and organisations in Rhayader, Llanyre and Dolau are among the Powys recipients of money from the National Lottery Community Fund – they will each receive around £10,000.
Meanwhile, a community shop project in Llangors, near Brecon, is to get almost £100,000, while nearly £40,000 will go to Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) for their pilot programme to reduce homelessness in the county.
Llangors Community Shop Ltd will use their £99,200 grant to establish a shop in the rural village nestled in the Brecon Beacons, which will help residents reduce the need to travel, decreasing isolation and improving the wellbeing of the older population and single parents.
Mark Kerr, chairman of the shop’s management committee, said: “The shop committee in Llangors has been working for more than two years to bring about a community-run convenience store and small café to meet the needs of the people living around Llangors Lake.
“There has not been a shop of this character in the area for many years. We are now nearing completion and this has only been made possible by this generous grant. We expect to start trading by the end of the summer.
“As a committee, we would like to express our warmest thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting this exciting venture.”
Other Powys organisations also successful in their grant applications include:
• Dolau Recreation Association will use a grant of £10,000 to provide improved outdoor facilities for their local community which they’ve identified the need due to the Covid-19 pandemic
• Llanyre Community Council will use a grant of £9,499 to upgrade the play equipment at their local park, to provide local children and young people with better opportunities to socialise which will help improve their well-being
• Rhayader Church in Wales Primary School will use £10,000 to create a play area, which will be open to the whole community to help children improve their physical and mental well-being
• Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations has received a £39,756 grant through the National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Helping End Homelessness’ programme to test their ideas for reducing homelessness in the county. They will use what they learn to apply for a larger grant to deliver a programme of support that will help people experiencing homelessness, and to prevent people from becoming homeless
• Brecon Advice Centre will use a £9,500 grant to increase the awareness of their services, and to make sure that they, and their community, become more resilient following the pandemic
• Crickhowell Volunteer Bureau will offer volunteering opportunities for young people who are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme with a grant of £9,861
• Cwmtwrch RFC will use £9,881 to furnish their new community hub, which will be used by various different groups to help improve their well-being, confidence and health
• Llangattock Community Council were awarded £10,000 to create a safe sheltered outdoor space for local residents, which will enable isolated older individuals to socialise after the Covid restrictions are eased
• Swansea & Brecon Council for Social Responsibility will employ a coordinator, who will organise a variety of virtual activities such as a gardening club and cooking classes across Powys with a grant of £10,000.
Ruth Bates, interim director wales at the National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, communities across Wales have made an incredible impact, supporting each other over this difficult period. As we cautiously look to the future, we know people will continue to make a real and positive difference to each other’s lives, as the projects we are announcing this month show.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. To find out more about applying for a grant to help your community adapt, recover and thrive, visit www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/wales.
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