Local Meadows and Clifton community group, The Bridges Community Trust – which aims to improve the quality of life of residents in these areas. – has received a share of £9.5million of National Lottery funding to help recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The £49,500 grant has been awarded through the Covid-19 Community-Led Organisations Recovery Scheme (CCLORS). The scheme is led by independent trust Power to Change in partnership with Locality, The Ubele Initiative and Social Investment Business, and was part of The National Lottery Community Fund’s Coronavirus Community Support Fund, that launched in May this year.
The grant will enable The Bridges Community Trust to upskill the digitally poor in their local areas so they can access the digital world with confidence and knowledge.
The project, entitled ‘Connected2’, aims to empower residents of all ages, cultures, faiths and beliefs who have no access to or knowledge or skills of the digital world.
Sarah Robertson (Community Engagement and Impact Manager) said, Our Trust core values are all about raising the standards of living, giving locals more disposable income, and contributing to the health and wellbeing of the local residents. With the current pandemic it has really highlighted huge sectors of digital deprivation and loneliness within our local community. Now more than ever, we are realising the impact of not having basic computer skills and access to digital equipment can have on individuals wellbeing, career prospects and mental health. With this grant we are confident we can support people to enhance their digital skills, enabling them to access opportunities in both future employment and prevent loneliness and isolation by giving them the skills to stay digitally connected with family, friends and their local community.
In total, 302 community-led organisations have received a total of £9.5million through CCLORS to help recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The total includes 205 community organisations led by, or that support, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
Grants of up to £100,000 have been awarded to community-led organisations in England facing severe financial difficulties as a direct result of the coronavirus lockdown. It has helped them to launch health and wellbeing projects, develop digital education workshops and continue providing vital services for their communities.
Vidhya Alakeson, CEO of Power to Change, said: “Whilst Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on people right across the country, it has disproportionately affected Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. By bringing together this strategic partnership, we’ve ensured this much-needed financial support is reaching those communities that need it most.”
We have recruited staff to run this project and are actively enrolling members of the local community. It is a bespoke training programme with one-to-one guidance from Managers, volunteers, approved training providers and our own Careers, Information and Guidance Advisers. We have already compiled a list of prospective clients and have numerous referrals. We are still accepting new referrals and we will continue to promote this via social media, our website, and referrals from our business partners. We are still offering this support through the lockdown.