WINKLEIGH Village Hall and South Tawton Parish Council are among more than 70 community projects across the South West which will be helping local people improve their communities after the Big Lottery Fund awarded a total of £1.8 million to the region.

Winkleigh Village Hall receives £7,540 to purchase audio and visual equipment for the village hall. This will improve the facilities for local community groups.

South Tawton Parish Council receives £5,069 to purchase defibrillators to support medical emergencies within this rurally isolated community.

This will create a new resource to protect the well-being for people who live in the area by providing them for community public access.

The Wave Project receives £475,964 to expand a project which uses surfing to help 720 vulnerable young people aged eight to 19 in Cornwall and North Devon.

The young people involved will be at risk of having mental health problems or social isolation due to traumatic life experiences such as bereavement, disability, persistent bullying, family breakdown and those who are caring full-time for a parent or relative.

The project will offer 12 months of peer mentoring, skills training or volunteering opportunities.

The young people will first take part in an introduction to surfing course run by trained staff and mentors on a one-to-one basis to develop their confidence.

They will then join a weekly surf club to receive support from mentors. Finally, they the young participants will be invited to become mentors themselves and benefit from accredited training including surf coaching, lifeguarding and first aid. The courses will be delivered at St Ives, Newquay, Polzeath, Saltash and Croyde.

Dorset Action on Abuse receives £301,002 to support people across the county trying to cope with the consequences of childhood abuse, whether it is sexual, physical, emotional, financial or neglect.

Survivors of abuse can grow into traumatised adults, susceptible to enduring mental and physical illness, despair and suicidal thoughts. They can struggle with self-harming and addiction that affect relationships and employment or career prospects.

The project will provide therapeutic support to adults and increase the number of volunteer counsellors to 30 who will provide weekly sessions to victims for up to a year. The charity also plans to develop creative therapy workshops including storytelling, poetry, drama, music, artwork and meditation. The project expects to help more than 580 people.

Intercom receives £469,483 to expand a project to support for vulnerable and disadvantaged lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people who are experiencing issues that are affecting their mental and emotional health, including isolation, low self-esteem, suicidal tendencies and depression.

The charity’s central helpline and service manager are based in Exeter but in response to increasing demand, it will establish a new service in Plymouth. It expects to help 850 people across Cornwall, Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire.

Lyn Cole, Big Lottery Fund, England Grant Making Director, said: “It’s great to see so many inspirational projects being funded this month, whether it’s building confidence through surfing or supporting people with mental health issues. They are all excellent examples of people working together to support others in their community.”

The awards have been made through the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All and Reaching Communities programmes. Awards for All provides grants between £300 and £10,000 to voluntary and community organisations and Reaching Communities awards larger grants of £10,000 and above.

For more information on funding available visit: https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding .

Alan Quick