LLAL COMMUNITY
FUND
ANNUAL REVIEW 2019
JULY 2019
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Contents
Introduction 2 Key projects 4 Grants Awarded by fund (including data breakdown): LLAL Near Neighbours 10 Luton Youth Fund 19 LLAL Match funding programmes- #iwill 24 LLAL Match funding programmes- Mark West Fund 28 LLAL Community Fund 33 Summary & Feedback about the work of BLCF 45
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Introduction This report is compiled for the LLAL board to provide details of the grants awarded over the last financial year 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2019. We would also like to take this opportunity to update you as to the work of our Foundation, which has seen a busy year with some major changes including welcoming Professor Gurch Randhawa as our new Chair of Trustees and relocating to new offices in Luton. As the Foundation team has expanded, the staff at BLCF have been able to provide increasing amounts of support and advice to groups, strengthening and developing them for the future. Key impact and achievements over the last year include:
• Working much more closely with the local health authorities – joining the Health Transformation Board and the BLMK Building Healthier Partnerships Steering group. • Our CEO being appointed as a Commissioner for the Luton Inclusive Growth Commission, the report to be launched soon. In addition, she graduated with a distinction for her Masters in Grantmaking, Philanthropy and Social Investment and completed a dissertation on addressing inequality. • Instigating the first pan-Bedfordshire Funders day with 12 national foundations coming to the county, to learn about the issues facing the area and to encourage collective funding • Receiving high profile national coverage for the innovative and collaborative projects we have instigated and demonstrating our approach through national conferences and media including the Mayor of London Civil Society Conference, ACEVO annual conference, the Open University webinars and New Philanthropy Capital podcasts. • Continuing to strengthen our grant making systems and make more effective and efficient • Additional panel members being recruited, with relevant skills and experience together with volunteer grant assessors recruited and trained to a high standard • Developing the Small Charities Forum programme for the year and securing training and venues around the county for local grassroots organisations to network and connect. • Launching the Elevate programme to develop the capacity of charities, working with the Cranfield Trust to fund specific development work The Foundation has seen real change in the last year, where it continues to grow and be increasingly involved in supporting voluntary organisations and other local partners. We have also developed to take on much more of a community leadership role to build community assets and advocate for grassroots groups. With national recognition for our work together with a dynamic new Chair with a strong vision and clear commitment to communities, we look forward to continuing to work with LLAL on strengthening communities in Luton. We look forward to receiving any questions or comments. Francesca Johnstone Head of Grantmaking
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Selection of highlights during 2018/19
High Sheriff Awards
Small Charities Forum Events
Evolve Launch
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Elevate Programme Launch Event
Funders Tour of Bedfordshire Mayor of London Civil Society Conference
Inclusive Growth Commission First Community Foundation CEO to be profiled in the National Charity Times
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KEY PROJECTS
1. SMALL CHARITIES FORUM
The Small Charities Forum was established to help small grassroots groups build partnerships, network and enable peer support, as well as giving access to free training and workshops. The forum is part of our developing Grants+ work which we launched at the end of 2017.
One of the main aims of the forum is also to help upskill and develop organisations and their team, who may have limited access to training and funds, to ensure future sustainability. The forum is specifically targeted to those groups with an income of under £500,000.
We continue to see a good mixture of organisations attending, although as the workshop/masterclasses become more focussed the number of groups attending may fluctuate to allow for more specialist and one to one/small group support. We have 4 dates scheduled to take place during 2019, with the most recent in May 2019 focussing around monitoring, evaluation and impact. We were very pleased to have gained support from an extremely experienced professional to deliver this session, who is also a tutor for the Open University.
Our third session is planned to take place in September in the South Beds area (Leighton Buzzard or Luton- venue tbc), with the support of a mentor and trainer from The Cranfield Trust. The topic for this session is around good financial management, which BLCF sees as a need for quite a number of groups. Imbedding good working practices in a group’s infancy is key to helping the grow and sustain in the long term.
The Forums, whilst quite labour intensive for Foundation staff, have proved to be a success in the voluntary sector and we recently heard some good news about a new partnership that has been established with 2 groups that attended a previous forum. This would not have happened had they not attended and means they can provide and deliver a more meaningful service to the young people and unpaid carers they support.
The Foundation continues to build relationships with the CVS, Community Action and VCS and representatives often attend the forums, to provide additional support to groups attending.
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2. Evolve
The Foundation launched one of the few targeted funds around the country, focussing on gender inequality. We were aware that women’s charities and services had been disproportionately affected by public sector funding cuts and we are determined to raise funds locally for these vital services. In October 2018, we hosted a launch for the Evolve network with Dame Stephanie Shirley which attracted key influential women from across the county, determined to build a local collective and collaborative movement to highlight issues of gender inequality and encourage female philanthropy. Since then, a steering group has been established and a 3-year fundraising strategy put in place.
In June 2019, the first membership event was organised at Oakley House with an exclusive private viewing and auction. As a result of this, we have recruited a new steering group of key local women including:
Sue Lousada DL Liz Searle (CEO Keech Hospice) Dr Lucie Shukur (Director of Youthscape Centre for Research) Caron Kendall (FSB) Kate Cherry (Athena Womens Network) Bina Briggs Jo Wareham (The Little Branding Company)
In Autumn this year, we are aiming to hold an event for women’s charities in the county to attend together, to discuss collective funding and what their needs are. We have already commissioned Luton All Women’s centre to carry out a mapping exercise and we aim to use this as a basis for discussion of the local sector.
As can be seen, there is a lot of momentum and progress in this development, which we will be happy to provide further updates about in the future.
3. DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
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BLCF have been working with The Cranfield Trust to provide a programme that will support a number of voluntary organisations, based and operating in Central Beds or Luton, with a package of intensive management support to help them survive and become more sustainable in spite of the challenges of the current operating environment.
The objective of the programme is to invest in local organisations and help them develop their own solutions to the obstacles affecting the voluntary sector. This programme will support forward thinking organisations to develop leadership, strengthen governance, improve sustainability and build a framework to enable confident future planning, all vital activities during a period of considerable uncertainty. To date 4 local charitable organisations have been selected to work with The Cranfield Trust and support has already begun with these groups. The groups selected are as follows: Sorted Counselling Service, Sight Concern Bedfordshire, Luton Irish Forum and Luton All Womens Centre.
The support package will last over a period of 12 months and other similar programmes have run in the Bedford Borough area and have proved very successful and helped groups develop hugely. We hope to reflect this success in Central Beds and Luton also.
We believe that providing this type of long term infrastructure support to organisations will help insure that they are able to diversify their income and increase their sustainability.
4. SURVIVING WINTER INITIATIVE BLCF launched its first Surviving Winter campaign and appeal in November 2018 to help support those most vulnerable living in fuel and food poverty in Bedfordshire.
Working with a handful of key community partners, including, FACES, Bedford Foodbank, Age Concern and The Need Project we aimed to reach those most in need. Our partners identified individuals and families who were struggling to make ends meet, having to often make the decision over to whether to heat their homes or eat. Through this appeal we were able to raise a total of £10,000 which was kindly match funded by The Edward Gostling Foundation.
Staff were pleased to gain support through various social media channels, press articles and other forms of publicity. The Foundation teamed up with the local Bedford Blues Rugby Club, for example, who attended a publicity shoot with us and our community partners.
To date 214 people have received help through the appeal. Due to the unseasonably warm weather we have experienced during this period this has impacted the number of people that have been supported however.
Through our work with local grassroot community groups and our identified community partners there was clear need and evidence to support families, couples and individuals experiencing hardship in the county.
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What also became apparent was the amount of people experiencing poverty through changes to benefits (universal credits), this is further supported following research from the Trussell Trust and data around the increase use of foodbanks.
Based on the figures we have achieved, as numbers being supported have been lower than expected, this has meant that the funds have not been fully allocated. A total of £5,226 has been spent to help those persons most in need in the Bedfordshire area so far, which works out at just over £24 per beneficiary.
*Photo shoot with community partners, BLCF staff & members of the Bedford Blues Rugby Club.
BLCF is currently reviewing whether to consider rolling over remaining funds over to winter 2019/2020 or possibly to investigate whether to establish a hardship fund- this fund would enable our identified community partners to support individuals and families in a broader way, funding for example, emergency white goods, energy bills and essential equipment (e.g. clothing or baby items).
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Funding programmes
Over the last year BLCF continue to receive a large amount of grant applications, with more being submitted than can often be funded.
The Foundation now holds a total of 4 main decision panels across the funding year plus additional panels for the Luton Youth Fund grants and a further panel for applications to the Mark West Fund for women. Staff are in the process of reviewing panel membership with the view to recruit more members to represent the wider county. 1 new member has recently been recruited who brings a wealth of experience around impact and monitoring, as well as being a Trustee at another large grant making charity. Staff will also be seeking to recruit members representing Central Beds and the North Herts area too.
During 2018/19 we received applications requesting £1,671,580, across all the LLAL funded programmes (including those part funded). The decision panel approved 91 grants, totalling over £745,656.
We have provided a breakdown of those grants awarded for each of the funding programmes as follows;
LLAL Near Neighbours Fund
Staff have been working hard to promote this fund on an ongoing basis and we would like to take this opportunity to update you as to the progress of this as follows;
Social media
Facebook- we are growing our Facebook presence and regularly profile funds available. Although we have a limited budget to pay for promotions online we have increased our following over the last year significantly. There are plans to promote funds on a quarterly basis.
Staff have previously made contact with a number of the local authorities in the Near Neighbours area including St. Albans by virtual means via Facebook messenger. Many have promoted the funds previously and we will follow this up again during summer.
Twitter- we have an excellent amount of followers, which currently stands at over 1,000. We have promoted funds previously and are scheduling another wave during summer.
Website- staff are keeping the website up to date with information about the grants programme and listing all forthcoming deadline dates. There are 4 planned grants panels this year.
Outreach
Staff have undertaken outreach across a number of the areas the fund covers previously including: • North Herts Sustainable Funding Fair- which takes place each September. Staff attended in 2017 & 2018, with a large number of groups enquiring about the fund on both occasions. • St. Albans CVS- previously held a meet the funder session with 10 organisations attending. Staff are due to reschedule another date before summer. 10
• North Herts CVS- arranging a meet the funder session at their premises. Awaiting confirmation of date. They have previously cascaded the information about the funding to groups on their database also. • Community Action Dacorum- attending a funding fair and will be contacting them again shortly to promote funds now that the criteria/priorities have changed. • Small Charities Forum- groups are encouraged to attend our forums throughout the year with many groups doing just that. Our next forum takes place on 19th September in the South Beds area.
Other communications • Hertfordshire Association of Town and Parish Councils- contacted to ask for help circulating flyer to those Parishes within the relevant areas. – following information being cascaded staff received 6 phone calls from parish councils in these areas: Tring, Aldbury, Little Gaddesden/Great Gaddesden, Offley, Whitwell & Bovingdon (which is slightly outside of the Near Neighbours area). • Stevenage Borough Council- spoken to their communications team cascaded the flyer to local community groups • Dacorum Borough Council- emailed their communications team- awaiting a reply • Harpenden Council- communications team have promoted the fund on their social media and are currently looking at what lists they hold for local groups to be able to cascade the information to also.
All of the above will be contacted periodically to update.
Next steps:
· NHCVS ‘meet the funder’ session scheduled to take place at the beginning of July 2019. We are also trying to organise a session at St Albans CVS, dates to be confirmed. · Update details on Funding Central database re grants available
Staff continue to promote the funds at every opportunity, with a steady number of enquiries being dealt with each week (on average 7-10 enquiries). Building on established links we continue to receive an excellent amount of applications.
We have provided a more detailed breakdown about the grants awarded in this period below, applications were generally of a high standard and also represented a good spread of the geographical area, as follows:
GRANTS RECEIVED- DECISION
27%
Approved Cancelled 3% Rejected 70%
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As LLAL is already aware, there will be a number of reasons where applicants are not successful and the panel carefully considers each applications before reaching its decision. *One application was cancelled before reaching the panel due to a duplicate application being submitted under another funding programme also.
NEAR NEIGHBOUR Community Fund Approved Grants
Organisation Beneficiaries Amount Project Name & Details (£) Grant towards purchase of capital items for Adeyfield neighbourhood training resources and improving lighting 1 association 1000 4218 system at the community centre. Hyde Lane Pumping Station improvements and installation of a solar panel (Aylesbury 2 Buckingham Canal Society 500 2500 Vale). Short Term Respite Care for families in the Aylesbury Vale area. 3 CHAT 64 4000 Dunstable & District Citizens To fund additional advice sessions at the CAB. 4 Advice Bureau 3328 4200 To fund the creation of a Sensory Garden & aviary at the special educational needs school for pupils and the wider community to use. 5 Friends of St Luke's School 137 9500 See case study. Regeneration of our community tennis courts to allow more sessions to be run for young people and families in the area. 6 Great Brickhill Tennis Club 300 5000 Training Equipment for Harpenden Swimming Club following upgrades to the pool. 7 Harpenden Swimming Club 200 2975 Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Aylesbury Vale Hearing Advisory Service - 8 Service 400 2400 pilot scheme Singing for Memory, supporting service users Herts Musical Memories 4500 with Alzheimer’s and Dementia and their 9 5000 carers. Kimpton Folk Festival- contribution to family Kimpton Folk Events 2500 activities at the event to enable the 10 1200 community to access. Letchworth Garden City Rugby 11 Union Football Club 800 4020 Installation of Pitch Perimeter Fencing Midshires Search and Rescue Water Incident Support Vehicle and 12 Organisation 1100 3500 equipment upgrade. Studio development for a community radio station based in St Albans. 13 Nickey radio 20 5000 Playground project- installation of new play area for pupils to use. 14 Preston School Association 3000 3000
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All- Weather Bowling Green Deep Clean, Redbourn Recreation Centre & facilities used by many groups and 15 Playing Fields Trust 400 1500 individuals. Satellite counselling service in North Herts for young people. 16 Signpost 15 7070 Replacing wood floor at the hall 17 Studham Village Hall 1000 5000 The British Wheelchair Sports 40 2266 Junior sports camp for disabled children 18 Foundation (WheelPower) Tiny Steps- funding the "Little Steps" sessions TRACKS autism 48 5000 for new younger children (2yrs) on the 19 spectrum River View Project- to improve the area by Wheathampstead and District installing railings and viewing area for the Preservation Society local community. 20 6500 3000 Breachwood Green community puppetry 300 3030 project with year 5 and 6 pupils in the school- 21 Young People's Puppet Theatre see case study. Total 25,352 84,179
Based on the above awarded grants we are able to provide more statistical information as follows: Grants according to area
4% 20% Dacorum 20% North Herts Central Beds St Albans 23% 23% Aylesbury Vale Stevenage 10%
As you will be able to see in the above chart the majority of the grants awarded are to organisations based in the Hertfordshire area (70%), nearly a quarter being specifically in North Herts.
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Primary Age Group
All Ages 0% 19% Young People (13-18) Seniors (65+) 5% 48% Early Years (0-4)
14% Children (5-12) Adults (26-64) 14%
Nearly half of all applications awarded grants, have indicated that they will be benefitting all ages, rather than being more specific. This is particularly true of those grants awarded to community building and facilities as these are usually accessed by a wide range of ages.
Primary Issue Indicated
Homelessness
Education, learning & training
Emergency/Rescue Services
Arts, Culture & Heritage
Mental Health
Sport & Recreation
Health, wellbeing and serious illness
Environment and improving surroundings
Stronger communities/Community support and…
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The most common issue being addressed is around sport and recreation, perhaps unsurprising given the level of applications we receive from community buildings/facilities. This is the first time we have provided data around this section and it will be interesting to see what trends occur over the next few years.
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Primary Outcome Indicated
Increase in beneficiary training, education, accreditation & employment Improve quality of local environment & public space 5% 4% Improve health (physical / mental / 5% 5% 14% emotional) 5% Increase access to sport, exercise & leisure activities 5% Improve community cohesion
Increase opportunities for public to engage with culture & heritage 24% 33% Promote opportunities for creativity
Improve economic wellbeing
Increase participation in lifelong learning
The above graph correlates with the data found under the primary issue being mainly around sport and recreation, whereby the forerunner being identified is around improving health (physical and mental). This is also followed closely by increased access to sport and leisure.
Breakdown of ethnicities
18%
14% 50%
18%
All Ethnicities White White British Mixed
As with last years breakdown the majority of this year’s grants are focussing on directly benefitting those from all ethnicities, the difference this year is that the other 3 ethnic groups identified have a near identical spread across them- There are very few applications received specifying other ethnic groups.
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Main Criteria being addressed
Safer and Stronger Communities 24% Environment & Economic 38% Development Health & Wellbeing 24% 14% Children & Young People
Based on the 4 main criteria for the funding programme the above graph demonstrates which criteria is the most popular, although it is a fairly even spread across 3 of the key criteria for this financial year which is very encouraging. Should LLAL wish to place more emphasis or encourage more applications around environment & economic development we would be happy to discuss this further.
Breakdown of Criteria
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Number of applications of Number 2 2 2 1 1 1
1A 1B 1C 1D 2A 2B 3A 3B 3C 3D 4A 4B 4C 4D 4E 4F Criteria areas for the fund
Applications received focussed around 2 clear areas mainly; 1a. Strengthening communities; building capabilities and resources of the community, voluntary and social enterprise groups together to work out shared solutions. And 4a. Improving the health of children and young people
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Case Studies
1. Young People’s Puppet Theatre (YPPT)
YPPT helps children and young people facing difficulties in their lives (stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, special educational needs etc). They do this by providing a new learning environment to develop new skills, through a large-scale puppetry and puppet making courses based in schools across South East England.
They were awarded a grant to work with a small rural school (Breachwood Green Primary School) during which pupils designed and made their own marionettes, created and built the set design and gave a performance showcasing their work to the local community. BLCF staff were invited to attend the performance and were impressed but the scale of the project and how involved the pupils and staff were.
“I would like to thank you for your support with funding that enabled us to complete the YPPT project. A school like ours would never be able to afford a project like this, but the moment I saw YPPT I knew the benefits it would provide. For me it was about bringing shy children out of their shells, giving the children opportunities to experience something different, let them know there is a world of opportunities ahead of them. and finally to help our year 5 and 6 children gel in class. It certainly had the impact of all of these! I have seen some incredibly shy children come so far with their confidence this year and I truly believe this project had a lot to do with it. Once again, thank you so much for supporting us with this, it's made such a difference.”- K Badham, Headteacher Breachwood Green Primary.
2. Friends of St Lukes School
Friends of St Luke’s is a special educational needs school for children and young people aged 7 to 16 years from Hertfordshire. This grant was awarded to enable the school to build an inclusive sensory garden and aviary area by transforming an area of ground which was overgrown and unusable. The garden will contribute to improved social, communication, motor skills and cognitive challenges.
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“Since the creation of the sensory garden and aviary we have already seen a significant difference for our children. Before this development we had an inaccessible and overgrown area that was unusable. Through this funding we have been able to develop this area to create a sensory garden, featuring an aviary which is used for animal therapy. A number of therapies are carried out each week for individuals and small groups. We have also created a space where children can take themselves for ‘quiet time’ when needed, an outdoor learning space and an area that can be used during break and lunch time. This area is now fully accessible by all of our children. We have seen many individuals develop in a number of ways since this build. One particular success story involves a boy called Jack. Jack is one of many of our children who come to school every day in a taxi. For Jack this is a very stressful time, but he finds it hard to express these emotions and therefore finds it hard to concentrate in class. Since building this area, when Jack arrives at school he has 15 minutes with one of the birds to talk to and prepare him for the day ahead. For Jack this has made transport time a much more manageable experience. This area has provided our children with a place where they can freely and comfortably express their emotions. This is just one of many positive stories we have had through this project. Everybody at St Luke's Special Educational Needs School is therefore extremely grateful for this very kind donation, which has enabled us to carry out this project.”- J Capel, Headteacher at St. Lukes School.
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Luton Youth Fund
London Luton Airport Ltd and Luton Borough Council continue to work together with Bedfordshire & Luton Community Foundation, to improve the quality of life of children and young people in Luton through the Luton Youth Fund. The Luton Youth Fund sits in the Children, Families and Young People Theme of the London Luton Airport Ltd Partnership Fund.
The fund is specifically for Luton organisations working directly with young people who live, attend school or work in Luton. During this year it was recognised that many young people are involved in serious violence, criminal exploitation including sexual exploitation or gang related behaviours including knife crime, putting themselves and others in the community at risk.
This fund encourages a multi-agency approach, working and sharing of information between statutory and local organisations especially those working within the voluntary and community sector. This will ensure that young people in Luton are getting the best service provision for their individual needs, as well as creating opportunities for all children and young people including the hard to reach.
This year the fund was refocused to ensure that we were delivering effective programmes and services to vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people involved in activities as a result of exploitation and ensuring we are taking all the opportunities available to tackle and prevent the risk of exploitation in the first instance. The fund is targeted to maintain programmes for tackling the following: • Exploitation of children and young people such as gang associated behaviour • Serious youth violence or sexual exploitation, which encompass a multi-agency approach.
Applicants could also include outcome-focused interventions around learning, life skills, employment and prevention including teaching, supporting, mentoring and inspiring children and young people or parents within structured programmes of awareness to avoid any form of exploitation.
Applications received
14% 38% Approved Rejected Withdrawn 48%
LYF does not, in general, receive the same number of applications in terms of the other LLAL funds we manage. You will note from the above chart that for this financial year nearly half of all applications were not approved. As we have
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detailed previously to the board, applications are rejected for a variety of reasons, whereas applications that are withdrawn as usually because the organisation does not meet the criteria for the fund in the first instance.
As the criteria for this fund has recently changed with a more focussed and targeted set of key criteria this will impact on the number of applications being received going forward, although it is hoped that the quality of the applications may also then improve due to the increased time and effort being spent meeting and liaising with potential applicants also.
Please find below details of grants approved under this programme:
Luton Youth Fund Approved Grants Organisation No. of Amount Project Name & Details beneficiaries (£) The Hart Hill Hangout: A coaching, mentoring, training and employment opportunities project for young people, leaving a sustainable legacy by equipping 1 Active Luton 80 7500 participants to lead on future wellbeing activities. Identity and Film: A project for young people in the community exploring their identity and ongoing issues in the media, using creative arts and film professionals, using open dialogue in workshops to 2 All Faiths and None 1200 16060 produce solutions-based films. ASR Youth Project: A project to create and deliver youth drop in sessions in Luton, to increase the number of young people having the opportunity to volunteer for their summer school project which 3 ASR Community 30 9982 caters for around 400 young people. ATT10TIVE Social Enterprise B The Change: A Project working with young people in (Formerly MF Youth 80 8400 Luton, to improve their health and well-being, and 4 Consultants) raise their aspirations. GreenHouse Mentoring: A project providing mentoring services to young people living or going to Greenhouse Mentoring school in Luton for a wide range of issues which causes 5 Project 60 18336 emotional stress. Funding to contribute to the salary costs of a specialist CSE worker in Luton. They will be offering targeted, long term 1-2-1 therapeutic support to girls and boys aged 11-18 who 6 Link to Change 33 20000 are assessed high risk. It's No Joke!: is a fast-paced high-energy play that uses comedy to address the issues of anti-social behaviour and weapons-related crime. Delivered in 7 The Flavasum Trust 1453 10000 Luton schools to year 6 pupils. Vehicles for Change: a community Outreach Project encouraging young people to addressing issues leading to risky behaviour including offending, ASB, 8 The Walk to Freedom 40 15000 and serious youth violence. Total 3,117 £105,278
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It is important to note that the above figure does not include grants paid in instalments to groups (due to the size of the awards). Further instalments outstanding for groups awarded previously are as follows: Bangladesh Youth League (£114,987), Relate (£40,000), Dynamic Decisions (£15,000), Friends of Bright Eyes (£19,792), All faiths & None (£9780), Directional CIC (£5,000), Safer Luton Partnership (£15,000), TOKKO (£15,000) and £15,000 match funding towards #iwill (as agreed previously). This reaches a total of £354,837.
In terms of a more detailed breakdown of the programme because of the limited number of grants being approved, a general overview is included below:
Primary age group- all approved applicants detailed the age group of Young People 13-18, which is in line with the criteria for the fund.
Grants per ward area
13%
12% Luton (all) South Northwell 75%
Two-thirds of all the approved grants indicated that beneficiary would come from across Luton as a whole- if there are particular ward areas LLAL would encourage groups to focus on we are happy to discuss this further. *It is important to note that many Luton based grants detail more than one ward area, we have only included the first detailed ward area for ease of analysis.
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Primary Issue Identified
Violence and Exploitation
Counselling/Advice/Mentoring
Health, wellbeing and serious illness
Issues Education, learning and training
Offending/At risk of offending
Stronger communities/Community support and development
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 Number of Applications
The 2 key primary issues being identified by applicants is around violence and exploitation (one of the key criteria for the fund) and also stronger communities. Both these align with the objectives of the fund, which is pleasing to see, that said the other issues also being identified by the other applicants also fit well with the focus of the funding in the main too.
Primary Outcome 2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0 Numberapplications of Increase access Improve health Increase Increase Support Promote safer to services (physical / participation in qualifications & vulnerable communities mental / lifelong skills people emotional) learning
Outcomes
The above chart echoes the primary issues being addressed with supporting vulnerable people and improving health (physical/mental/emotional) being identified by successful applicants. As a Foundation we would like to see an emphasis around organisations having outcomes around safer communities and supporting vulnerable people as these are the two really that best align with the programme- staff will discuss this with applicants as the programme continues.
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Case Studies
1. The Flavasum Trust
This organisation was awarded funding to work with schools in Luton through an arts based project. It’s No Joke! is a fast-paced high-energy play that uses comedy to address the issues of anti-social behaviour and weapons-related crime. Theatre performances were presented to pupils and staff in Year 5, 6 & Year 7 primary mainstream schools as well as at the Alternative Learning & Progression Service (ALPS) in Luton. The schools were identified based on ward areas most affected by knife crime and anti-social behaviour.
After each performance the actors explained to the pupils how their characters responded to the appearance of a knife and the consequences of the damage it caused. The pupils were encouraged to ask questions of both the characters and the actors.
2. ATT10TIVE Social Enterprise
AB came to Att10tive looking for a fresh start in life with higher ambitions and goals, wanting to grow as a person and gain life skills which could give him a brighter future.
“I met Montell who was running a project called B The Change. This was about tackling issues that young people had that could lead to gangs and conflicts. I felt this would give me a fresh perspective in life and so I got a role as an engagement coordinator. I started off by attending workshops in various colleges as an assistant in Luton learning and observing on how a classroom is taught. I got to observe on how to prepare a toolkit, a work plan and a lesson plan. I got involved in group activities and also helped guide students through tasks. I got the chance to meet head principles and other teachers and gain valuable experience. I then found I was developing an increased passion within the role. As the project went on, I learnt how to work better in a team and gain key skills such as, good communication skills, attention to detail, time management, being efficient and many more. I demonstrated the ability to be a leader within the group and engage others to be apart of this project. I’m now able to use my initiative and produce exercises for people and further developed my leadership skills in assisting in training work experience. On a personal level was it helped me make new friends, give me extra confidence and a higher self-esteem for myself which I will always be grateful for, I feel it will and has benefited me massively going forward.”
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#iwill Fund
The #iwill Fund is an England wide joint investment that brings together £40 million in funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and The National Lottery Community Fund, creating a central investment pot.
BLCF believes that more young people should be involved in social action which helps communities and promotes harmony in the County. We encourage groups to support young people to come together to fund project which develops their skills, knowledge and community participation. This encourages more young people, particularly from less affluent communities, to take part in high quality social action that builds a habit for life.
In our region the #iwill has been used by progressive groups to develop imaginative and youth led projects that builds confidence and engagement in local issues and concerns. Building new connections with groups and formulating lasting partnerships. Most of these projects are planned for summer 2019 and early into the new academic year, allowing the best opportunity for participation and enough time to market the projects.
Future of #iwill
We anticipate the demand for #iwill funds will increase 19/20 as some of the criteria of delivery has now changed and been relaxed. This is to allow a wider range of applications and especially more from areas and groups where pathways for young people do not exist or are where young people come from less affluent areas. In particular and relevant to Bedfordshire and Luton:
Our target would be to fund up to 6 new projects, each between £5,000 to £10,000 and would therefore need to secure at least £30,000 match funding as early as possible. With the relaxation of funding criteria from #iwill we would encourage a few of the previously funded organisations along with some of the recent new organisations who have approached us and are awaiting to apply. This would include groups such as Learning through the Arts, Hear2Listen, Friends for Life, Uprising, ACCM and Mary Seacole.
Details of grants awarded in this period are as follows:
#iwill Fund Approved Grants
Organisation No. of Amount Project Name & Details beneficiaries (£) Augmented Social Action Project (ASAP). Aimed at young people on NCS programme, especially those from less affluent back grounds, to receive support from dedicated training professionals to help with confidence and support 1 and counselling so they can take part in group activities Hear2Listen 2000 4500 with other young people and begin to take active approach.
They will use a Dragons Den style approach to supporting new projects, providing small funds for marketing and promotion and then sharing the experience with the whole group and developing lasting relationships in the community. 2 Bedford Players Trust 40 5500 Introduction to Role Play Games- working with young (The Place Theatre) gamers (role play gamers RPG) who very rarely venture out of their bedrooms to form 'real' friendships with other young 24
people or they lack social integration skills. Due to start in September 2019, is being led by a young RPG who is using his gaming network to reach out to local young people in similar position to him and encourage them out of the bedrooms into the Bedford Players Theatre. With the help of the various partners and facilitators they will use the gaming
model to develop confidence and social skills and should confidence increase 'role play' in the safe environment of a theatre space. Bedford Radio - Youth Action Group. Developing a cohort of young people who will come together to highlight local issues of concern and develop radio and or media messages 3 Home Counties Community 25 5000 to help others in the same situation and also raise the profile Media of issue affecting young people. This will be played on the radio and or messages put out through social networks. Helping to raise profile of the issues and those community groups providing support. Total 2065 £15,000
Due to the limited number of applications being approved in this period we can provide a few general details around data. 2 out of the 3 grants awarded are working in the Bedford Borough area (as this is a national fund it covers the whole of Bedfordshire) and the other successful applicant is working with beneficiaries across the Central Beds area. All 3 applicants are working with all ethnicities and with young people aged 13-18 years of age.
The below case studies are from applicants who have now finished their funding period and were awarded funding in the previous financial year. Case Studies
1. Learning through the arts
A social enterprise organisation that were awarded a grant (which finished in December 2018) using arts to build confidence, motivation and skills to put on a concert or performance working with local groups and colleges. Funds raised would be donated to local charities the young people choose. The grant covered costs of workshops and sessions to build the young peoples ideas and a case study is provided below from this group.
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A young man 'B' in his early 20s, from a poor background, lives with single parent mother, and suffers from mild depression. He has had some university education works adhoc locally in Luton. He loves music, but he is not allowed to express this, because his family thinks this is a waste of time. This project gave B, the opportunity to bring together a group of young people like himself together. It gave them the opportunity to engage and express themselves through music. He took a leadership role in the organising the project and feels greatly valued. B says he and his friend would do another funding raising concert to support another local charity for Christmas in 2019. The performance took place at ‘The Well’ in High Town area, Luton which included a discussion and workshop about young people and mental health and how music has helped him and his friends come to terms with various issues in their lives. The performance was free but donations from the audience; (34 young people and a few adults from the community) raised a modest amount for Noah Enterprise.
2. Uprising
The grant awarded was to enable the organisation to deliver the Bedford and Luton Leadership Programme 2018-19. Over nine months, 27 sessions/events were delivered in each location, and participants attended a two-day Leadership Retreat. Sessions were hosted by senior leaders from public, private and not-for-profit sectors; repeated annually. There are at least 60 stakeholders that volunteer on the programme, including speakers, mentors, coaches and alumni from previous Leadership Programmes.
The programme encourages action-learning through the design and delivery of Social Action Campaigns (SACs), on topics that matter to young people (see http://myvoicemyvote.uk/location/bedford-luton for past examples). The Leadership Programme also includes a Dragon’s Den, where young people pitch their SAC to a room of senior leaders, and the top 3 campaigns win financial rewards to help their campaign grow. The programme not only creates more confident, knowledgeable young leaders but also contributes to a stronger, empowered community.
Quotes from a couple of participants are below:
“Our social action campaign is focused on addressing the lack of opportunities for underrepresented young people We're running a survey as part of our social action to understand if young people in Bedfordshire feel confident to achieve their potential, or whether they feel limited by the challenges they face. Working on this survey has massively helped with my confidence. I have found it really nice to be in a room of people who look like me and care about the 26
same things as me, as often in the Arts, where I work, people are white and middle class. It has also been really nice to go to places on the programme which are not normally accessible, such as the police HQ. Being on the programme has really made me think about areas and places I had previously seen as not for me and how I can challenge that.”- Maya, 2018/19 Leadership Programme participant
“For me, the best part of the programme is the campaigns and social action element. Meeting a variety of different people and working in a team with them has been special. The ability to practice and make mistakes - you don't get to do this elsewhere and it feels so empowering to be trusted and allowed to learn”- Giusi, 2018/19 Leadership Programme participant
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Mark West Fund
The Mark West Fund: a fund set up in 2017 to support women and girls in Luton, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford, to achieve their full potential by funding locally based community groups who have the expertise to address issues of inequality at a grassroots level.
The aim of the fund is to support women and girls to realise and achieve their full potential, improve the lives of women and girls give opportunities and raise aspirations to achieve better things in the future. Also, educate the entire community about the benefits to society when the potential of women and girls is realised and achieved.
The Priorities addressed by this fund are as follows: · Address issues of poverty and homelessness · Promote Education including basic skills · Provide Health and mental health programmes and activities · Address issues of domestic violence, violence against women and girls and promote safety · Create opportunities to develop economic self-sufficiency and enhance prospects for the future
Successful organisations must be able to affirm their project is based and delivered in Bedfordshire, is targeted at women and/or girls over the age of 11 years and meet at least one of the above priorities above.
In order to raise money and get the appropriate support we have created an opportunity for women in Bedfordshire to get involved in a programme called EVOLVE either as a member or support. EVOLVE is a group of passionate, committed and determined women. These women have taken on the responsibility of nurturing and developing EVOLVE ensuring everyone understands, highlights and addresses issues of inequality and more importantly raises funds for the Mark West Fund to support women’s services in Bedfordshire. Evolve launched in October, a steering group was set up after the launch and they have planning events for the coming year.
Mark West Fund Approved Grants
Organisation No. of Amount Project Name & Details beneficiaries (£) Train the Trainer: – A project to give young Asian girls a qualification in youth work who 1 ASR Community 115 4731 may not otherwise be able to achieve this. Intervention, Support and Exit Project: A project for women who are involved in or 2 Azalea 40 5000 experiencing sexual exploitation. Community Safety Course: A programme Bedford Women's Centre run delivering Community Safety Courses for 3 by Family Groups(Bedford) 30 4464 women experiencing domestic abuse Biscot Women's Empowerment: A project of empowerment aimed at improving confidence and self- esteem resulting in Biscot Women taking up volunteering 4 Bengali Women's Project 30 4329 opportunities. Communities Together Living Well: A Dallow Business Partnership Community drop-in project for women from 5 Ltd 20 5000 BME communities who are disadvantaged, 28
delivering activities, support and information, on social, physical/ mental health & wellbeing, An outreach project to provide accommodation and other opportunities to vulnerable disadvantaged/homeless women 6 King's Arms Project 130 5000 in Bedford Strengthening the infrastructure of women's groups and organisations in Luton: A feasibility project to investigate women’s services in Strengthening the infrastructure of 7 Luton All Women's Centre 100 5000 women's groups and organisations in Luton Empowering Roma Women: A project to reach up to 1,000 Roma women and girls living in Luton, who have, unmet needs, be disadvantaged, without a voice, isolated and highly vulnerable to exploitation, often by 8 Luton Roma Trust 1000 5000 their own people. Mum and Daughter STEM experiences: a project designed to encourage and educate through hands-on activities, raising awareness of the future careers available in The Engineering Development Science Technology Engineering Maths to 9 Trust (EDT) 200 3865 mums and daughters. Total 1665 £42,389
Grants by local authority area
33% Luton Bedford 67%
Whilst the above graph may indicate that only Bedford Borough and Luton based applications were successful it is worth noting that at least one the grants actually covered more than one area (including Central Beds). We will be keen to encourage more applications from the Central Beds area however going forward.
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Ethnicities
11% All Ethnicities 11% Mixed 45% Asian and Asian British
22% White British White East European 11%
The grants awarded under the Mark West fund, nearly half are working with all ethnicities rather than a specific ethnic group. Given the relatively small number of grants being awarded, particularly as this fund is fairly small, the spread across ethnic groups is in fact quite good.
Primary Outcome Identified
Increase qualifications & skills Support vulnerable people 11% 22% 11% Increase participation in lifelong learning 11% Improve health (physical / mental / emotional) 11% 34% Promote human rights and equality Increase employability
We were pleased to see that over a third of the applications approved identified support vulnerable people as the primary outcome, this aligns well with the programmes objectives.
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Primary Issue Addressing
Poverty and disadvantage
Stronger communities/Community support and development
Homelessness
Social inclusion and fairness
Supporting family life
Violence and Exploitation
Education, learning and training
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
As detailed in the above chart there were a number of key primary issue areas identified by applicants, 2 being more popular than others. Both these areas aligned well with the funding programmes objectives. Case Studies
1. Dallow Business Partnership Ltd (DBP)
This grant was provided to fund community drop-in service where they provided a number of different activities including exercise classes, introductory/basic skills (counselling, first aid etc) as well as other wellbeing activities.
“We have raised awareness around a number of issues as well as conducting general fitness sessions. These included; healthy lifestyles, womens cancer screening, women and girls sexual health (including issue of FGM and also discussed cultural and faith attitudes preventing women from access services. Fitness activities were run by Active Luton, as well as by other community and voluntary groups and local authority. People left feeling more confident in coming forward with concerns, questions and asking for help , they have improved coping skills and manage their health better….The grant has made a big impact to the users, there has been support to the most vulnerable, information and inclusion , to improve their health and learning, and a coming together of different communities with long term positive relationships being formed”- Project Coordinator from DBP.
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2. Kings Arms Project
A grant was awarded towards their Women’s outreach project, working with up to 130 vulnerable women, who maybe rough sleepers, homeless, struggling with addictions, escaping abusive relationships, ex-offenders, unemployed, have no recourse to public funds and refugees.
Case study:
Julia, a Polish female, had been sleeping rough for many years and was predominantly disengaged from society. It took many, many months for Julia to begin to take a chance in trusting our Outreach Worker, as life had left Julia feeling battered, abused and betrayed. Eventually, Julia allowed herself to trust our Outreach worker and she came into the safety of the Nightshelter which provided Julia with a hot shower, a warm meal, a cosy bed and others that truly had her best interest at heart.
Julia was referred onto the Pathways to Employment programme by our Polish Outreach worker and first attended one of the Art courses. We noticed that Julia was quite shy and withdrawn and we realised that we needed to be very gentle and allow Julia to indicate when and if she would be ready to progress onto further courses. Over time, our team started to build a good working relationship with Julia, to the extent that she is now able to initiate contact with the Pathways to Employment team, she also maintains eye contact and holds your gaze when communicating.
Over a period of 11 months, Julia attended many different courses. These included the Sustrans bike course, the 8 week long Pathways to Employment Jobs club, the Money course, 2 social summer events, bowling and a Christmas social.
Our team worked closely with Julia and whilst attending the Pathways to Employment Jobs club, Julia gained housing in one of our No Recourse homes and expressed an interest in getting a job. Julia was increasing in self-confidence, and so the Outreach team supported Julia to organise and attend meetings with local recruitment agencies.
Over the past few months, Julia has been successfully and gainfully employed in local factories. However, Julia is eager to secure a permanent job, and is continuing to engage with our Pathways to Employment team. "I am grateful for the help that you are giving me to turn my life around. I know I will do it now ... before ... I didn't think it possible... never! Now, I will. Thank you so much".
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LLAL Community Fund This fund has been operating for a number of years now and consistently receives large numbers of applications. The quality of applications has improved over the last couple of years, which could be attributed to further support being able to be provided by BLCF staff and also the other additional resources available for groups to tap in to (such as the Small Charities Forum). The current criteria for the fund encourages applications from groups working across 4 key areas;
1. Safer and Stronger Communities
2. Environment and Economic Development green spaces
3. Health and Wellbeing
4. Children and Young People
The above are further broken down in the criteria document to covers 16 different issues, which compared to other funding programmes is quite broad. Should LLAL wish to review these priority areas or scale down the issues it is looking to address we would be happy to discuss this further.
Please find an overview of below of approved grants and some statistical data which follows:
LLAL Community Fund Approved Grants Organisation Beneficiaries Amount Project Name & Details (£) Health and Wellbeing: a weekly club for people with learning disabilities to meet for social activities with other people with similar 1 21 Club Luton 60 1450 disabilities. Club is running for 60 years Reach for Tranquillity: Reach for Tranquillity: weekly activity sessions for culturally diverse 2 A Creative Expression Ltd 625 9510 women including arts and craft and cooking Take action now and you test for life: a project to reduce new infection rates of HIV and early diagnosis within black African and Caribbean 3 Actionplus Foundation - UK 1000 10000 cultures. Young people's Social Inclusion Project: an educational programme for young disadvantaged Afro-Brazilian Arts & Cultural people in Luton who cannot afford extra- 4 Exchange Institute 50 1450 curricular activities Stepping Stones Project Luton: Overcoming Homelessness. Supporting homeless adult residents in their accommodation in Luton to 5 Amicus Trust 35 7500 gain skills, qualifications and live independently. Contribution towards hall hire to enable this group of older/elderly women s friendship group 6 Arcadian Women's Club 36 1400 to meet. Improving skills in the workforce: skill 7 Autism Bedfordshire 180 6264 development courses delivered in Luton to
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increase the skills of staff and become an accredited training provider. Azalea Drop-in, Befriending and Recovery: Services for women affected by sexual exploitation and the associated issues such as 8 Azalea 120 10000 drug and alcohol use, crime and violence. South Asian Health & Well-being Clubs for older people: A consortium of 9 clubs delivering health and well-being activities to south Asian 9 Bangladesh Youth League 500 46722 communities. The Inspire Luton Cricket Project: providing a range of cricket opportunities in Luton, for South Asian communities in areas such as Crawley, Putteridge & Wigmore that have not been 10 Bedfordshire Cricket Ltd 800 9514 targeted in the past. SA testing event in Luton for detecting Prostate Cancer: PSA blood testing event for the early Beds. Prostate Cancer Support detection of Prostate Cancer of Black African and 11 Group. 500 5000 Caribbean men over 40 years. Advance our Skills: activities to provide a skills sharing platform and host and coordinate health 12 Biscot Faith Partnership 400 5000 and wellbeing services Wheels Appeals: project providing valuable resources to support people with equipment use 13 British Red Cross 500 5000 such as wheel chairs and other aids. Leaf Pond Cover for Community Centre: a cover for the pond so as nursery children can use the garden and resources in garden during their time 14 Bushmead Community Centre 400 950 at nursery. Art Therapy: a therapeutic arts support project delivered to vulnerable women and members of the public addressing physical and mental health 15 Butterfly Project 90 7500 issues. Me Time Womens Gym: a project delivering affordable gym and fitness sessions for women from the Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities (but not exclusively) Luton, who 16 Community Interest Luton CIC 60 9900 may not otherwise be able to afford Crescent Summer School: Holiday programme 17 Crescent Summer School Project 210 9985 for young people Brighter Future: A programme of activities including H&S, First Aid, CV Writing, Leadership skills, Drugs & Alcohol Awareness, Conflict Diverse FM Community Media & Resolution and Gang related issues delivered to 18 Training 20 10000 young people from diverse communities. Youth and Young Adult Clubs for disabled young 19 Families United Network 50 7500 people in Luton and Bedfordshire CHUMS Friendship Scheme: supporting young disabled aged 19-25 with social activities including trips, also giving an opportunity for 20 Friends of Chums 30 7500 parents/carers to access short break hours.
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Edible High Town: to contribute to the work of Edible High Town, covering the costs of the Gardener and Project Co-Ordinator, volunteer 21 Friends of High Town 4000 8840 expenses, plants and tools etc. Refurbishment and Renovation of School Grounds: To carry out vital repairs and refurbishment with the help of volunteers, to keep the outside space at the school a safe, Friends of Sundon Park Junior comfortable and enjoyable area for the children 22 School 500 1500 and the community. Volunteer Retention & Management: to continue to develop the Volunteer programme, including: training and development, and management. The application, planning and receipt of the Investing in Volunteers Award and 23 Greenhouse Mentoring Project 150 5332 end of year celebration to Volunteers. Community Food Hubs - tackling food poverty 24 Groundwork Luton and Beds 200 10000 (see case study) Trips to the theatre for children with special needs from Luton: To provide trips for children accompanied by their carers aged who have special needs and are further disadvantaged by 25 Happy Days Children's Charity 200 4000 living in poor socio-economic conditions. Update and increase toilet facilities: funding was needed to update old facilities and add new toilets to accommodate the increasing number 26 High Town Methodist Church 500 10000 attending and using the premises. Open House Lounge: the central focus of outreach to the community sessions. Many attending are recovering addicts, and/ or have mental health problems, are socially isolated, and 27 Hope Church Luton Trust 200 10000 often disengaged from other services. Luton Big Iftar 2019: bringing communities together both Muslims and non-Muslims in a bid to share the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan by the breaking of the fasting and sharing of food with each other in a safe, secure and positive 28 Inspire FM 3000 5600 environment. Hospice at Home: To support home services for family and carers, giving carers and family members a well needed break, time out from stressful and emotional role of looking after a 29 Keech Hospice Care 151 9000 family member suffering from a terminal illness Kimpton Christmas Market: grant towards purchase of marquee and flooring that can be used in 2018 and in future years for the 30 Kimpton Parish Council 499 1438 Christmas market. KCL Recreation and Services: wellbeing, sports 31 Kokni Community Luton 150 8930 and social activities for whole community. Leagrave Youth Work Action Leagrave Community Band using music to 32 Group 30 9570 develop the lives of young people.
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Arts & Soul: creative wellness community outreach creative arts project which seeks to address issues associated with mental wellbeing 33 Learning Through The Arts 30 5000 in the community. I Love Learning: gives children what they’re missing so that they can have the most positive educational experience possible. Such as books, 34 Level Trust 3447 9949 clothes, shoes, stationary etc. Little Red Big Step: to provide improved facilities set up of a community coffee bar on the first floor, including materials to build it and 35 Little Red Creative Studios CIC 12000 7500 support to help run it. Home is where the art is: to create bespoke artist bays that will enhance the already happy and creative process and increase the safety and 36 Little Red Creative Studios CIC 15000 10000 suitability of a community arts centre. Counselling Service: for Women who have been victims of abuse/ violence frequently struggle to come out of those situations due to self-blame, 37 Luton All Women's Centre 70 10000 guilt or low self-esteem. Bringing the Baroque to Luton: a concert during telling Christmas story through carols to Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 at a local primary school; 38 Luton Choral Society 443 5000 and with a wide range of partners. Peace Walk 2018: a project working with 12 schools, community and faith leaders to create a new peace garden and an event to celebrate it to 39 Luton Council of Faiths 4500 2500 the community. Luton St Patrick's Festival 2019: Parade Day Grant to help support the closure of roads so the 40 Luton Irish Forum 10000 1500 parade can go ahead. Community Outreach Advice Project: supporting vulnerable adults in Luton, particularly those who are elderly and frail, carers, housebound, people with disabilities and those with language barrier which prevent them 41 Luton Rights 270 9994 accessing mainstream advice services. Roma Education Champion: supporting Roma children in schools providing education, transition, well being and support to children and 42 Luton Roma Trust 300 8000 parents and schools. Contribution towards salaries for staff to allow services to people with mobility issues so they 43 Luton Shopmobility 835 10000 can continue to have enriching lives. 44 Luton Shopmobility 400 9000 Purchase of mobility equipment for the centre. Luton Town Centre Chaplaincy: to promote hope, wholeness and well-being, by listening to people, providing practical advice, assistance, 45 Luton Town Centre Chaplaincy 2500 7500 and signposting as appropriate. Luton Turkish Community LUTON TURKISH FESTIVAL: cultural activities 46 Association 750 5000 promoting inter culture activities for residents,
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visitors and guests to Luton to celebrate Turkey and its Tradition and culture. Summer School Project: to support summer school to enable young people to register and work as volunteer/ peer mentors, supported by a team of qualified and experienced staff and 47 Mitalee Youth Association (MYA) 300 10000 partner agencies. Music24 Dementia Service: music therapy service for people diagnosed with dementia and 48 Music24 Ltd 60 8000 their carers. The Luton Academy: to support NOAH Academy which offers training providing key skills to rebuild confidence with the aim of helping 49 NOAH Enterprise 210 7500 progress into further training or employment. Evolve: To tackle gang related violence and bullying by providing resource for South Asian communities and developing programmes of activities to improve quality of life by support to One Stop Advice and Training overcoming personal and social barriers, of under 50 Centre 55 4680 represented communities. Aspiration: For females from mainly the BAME communities to develop their confidence and skills with multiple barriers relating to confidence, language, employment skills, and One Stop Advice and Training isolation from others in the community and low 51 Centre 30 8345 beliefs in terms of their abilities. Reducing Stigma: delivering mental health awareness and first aid training across the community of Luton with a particular focus on 52 Our Minds Matter 1000 8000 reaching out to ethnic and faith minorities. Vibe Pilot Project: for SEN students of secondary school age who are significantly struggling academically. Using weekly drama/music production, a gardening project and a summer working with horses. They then perform the play in front of friends and family at the end of the 53 Out of Class 10 7100 project. Womanhood: a project about empowering young women from the Muslim community to have the strength courage and resilience to understand, speak up and seek help for the different taboo subjects that occur in their 54 Precious Pearls 24 6590 community. Family Learning Support project: to help refugee and migrant young people to learn more about the life in the UK and how they are able to integrate with local people without loosing their RAMDA Refugee & Migrant identity and heritage. 55 Development Association 200 5000 Refugees/Asylum/Immigration Road Victims Trust Volunteer Training and Support: for network of specialist Counselling 56 Road Victims Trust 50 5000 Volunteers across Luton by providing additional
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training alongside supervision and support to help bereaved families. Keeping Luton's Children Safer: to support visits to Hazard Alley, an interactive safety education centre in Milton Keynes including the cost of admission and travel. Teaching children about risks and hazards and giving them knowledge and 57 Safety Centre (Hazard Alley) 550 4923 skills to keep themselves safer. Tai Chi for the Disabled: which has proven to be beneficial to those who have diabetes, have suffered from stroke and hypertension. Many older people with disabilities may have these 58 Sendo-Ryu Association 100 7616 health issues. Basic ESOL and ICT Classes for Beginners: the project develops several skills which would enable the women to gain better access to 59 Shanthona Womens Group 36 10000 training, life skills including using a computer. Mother Tongue: to support a performance project which using "Mother Tongue", an empowering writing, spoken word and performance project for 12 young single mothers 60 Small Green Shoots 12 1910 in Luton. Something To Look Forward To + Essentials- delivering essential items and experiences to 61 Something To Look Forward To 526 5000 people affected by cancer and cancer poverty. Parish Nursing Project - St Thomas' Parish: Providing health and wellbeing nursing service to help patients manage health conditions and 62 St Thomas' Parish Church 40 1200 compliment NHS service provision. Bereavement Support: providing The Counselling Foundation - Counselling service in Luton focusing on clients 63 Stevenage 110 4500 with mental health and low income. 2019 Luton Peace Commemorations: Commemoration of a history of life in Luton 100 years ago, told through the story of the Luton Peace Day riots which took place on 19th July 64 The Cultural History CIC 2000 10000 1919. Creation of Child Cancer rooms at the hospital: To support care for parents who have babies in the premature and sick baby unit. Create two The Luton and Dunstable Hospital treatment/inpatient rooms for young cancer 65 Charity 27 7500 patients and their families. Self management workshops for patients in Luton: workshops is to equip BPC (Primary Biliary Cholangitis, an autoimmune liver condition) sufferers with the skills to help them change the way in which they view their condition, and how 66 The PBC Foundation (UK) Ltd 264 1998 they self-manage Capital grant towards new flooring at the Warden Hill Community community centre: Urgently needed flooring to 67 Association 5000 4050 ensure the continued use of hall. Currently some
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classes using the hall are struggling due to the state of the current floor. Mural Project: a participatory community art project to produce a mural to be assembled on the side of All Saints Church Hall, next to four new allotments. The mural is to improve the quality of the environment, enhance the Warwick Road Community allotment area and provide a series of arts based 68 Gardening Club 50 4600 community activities.
Bute Mills 'Drop In' a drop in for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in Luton, operating every day from 3.30pm to 6.00pm. Gives young people opportunities and a programme of activities to help engage with 69 Youthscape Ltd 900 8000 others and gain useful skills for future. Total 77,345 498,810
Age Groups
23% Adults (26 – 65) 29% All Ages 4% Children (5 – 12) Seniors (65+) 13% 31% Young Adults (19 – 25)
Looking at the grants awarded and the main age group identified that the applicants will be working with there is a fairly even split between 3 main categories (All ages, Adults and Young Adults).
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Ethnicities
White Irish White Gypsies and Travellers White British White Other Mixed Ethnicity Mixed Indian Black and Black British Ethnicities Asian and White Asian and Asian British Any Other All Ethnicities African 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Number of applications
The above chart shows the diverse nature of the ethnicities each of the approved applicants is looking to work with, although over half (55%) state that they will be working with all ethnicities also.
Grants per ward area
40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5
Number of Applications of Number 0
Ward Areas
Reviewing the ward data supplied by applicants, more than half of all approved stated that their projects/activities would be Luton wide, rather than restricted to a particular ward area. Also, nearly a third of approved grants detailed more than one ward area (up to 3 key ward areas) therefore for ease of analysing, these have been grouped under the ‘multiple ward’ heading.
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Main priority area being addressed
Safer and Stronger 17% 16% Communities Environment & Economic Development 23% Health & Wellbeing
44% Children & Young People
With nearly half of all grants being awarded to organisations dealing with health and wellbeing issues this is perhaps not unexpected, given the growing trends particularly around the need for more mental health services for example.
Breakdown across priority areas
14 12 10
7 6 5
4 Number of Applications of Number 2 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 3
1a 1b 1c 1d 2a 2b 3a 3b 3c 3d 4a 4b 4c 4d 4e 4f Priority Areas
The above graph echoes the findings for data presented for the 4 main priority areas, the majority of these fit under Health & Wellbeing- Improving mental health services. Should LLAL wish to encourage grants focussing on other areas we would be happy to discuss this further.
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Primary Issue being addressed
VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION 1 STRONGER COMMUNITIES/COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND … 11 SPORT AND RECREATION 3 SOCIAL INCLUSION AND FAIRNESS 1 REFUGEES/ASYLUM/IMMIGRATION 1 POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGE 5 MENTAL HEALTH 2 HOMELESSNESS 1 HEALTH, WELLBEING AND SERIOUS ILLNESS 15 FINANCIAL EXCLUSION AND FINANCIAL ILLITERACY 1
Issues Issues Identified ENVIRONMENT AND IMPROVING SURROUNDINGS 3 EDUCATION, LEARNING AND TRAINING 9 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 1 DISABILITY AND ACCESS ISSUES 3 COUNSELLING/ADVICE/MENTORING 5 ARTS & CULTURE 7 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Number of Applications
As is evident from the graph above many of the grants approved were looking to specifically address either health, wellbeing and serious illness or focus on stronger communities. This aligns with the findings for the priority areas in the previous graph.
The primary outcomes identified by groups again correlate with the information highlighted in previous graphs, with improving health being the most popular. We do find that organisations applying struggle to understand what is meant
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by outcomes and how they can evidence these, BLCF staff support and advise a great deal around this and will continue to do so in the future. Case Studies
1. Groundwork Luton & Bedfordshire
Groundwork Luton & Bedfordshire are steering the development of the LFPA with the objective of supporting organisations working in the area of food poverty in Luton, to work in collaboration in order to maximise impact when addressing the underlying causes and impacts of food poverty.
A grant was awarded to support the further development of the Luton Food Poverty Alliance (LFPA) and the establishment and expansion of three Community Food Hubs in high deprivation areas of Luton (in the Farley, Park Town and Hart Hill areas of Luton). The roll out of the Community Food Hubs will support the community to collectively grow fresh food, which can be used to achieve a number of benefits. This includes enriching local food bank provision, supply holiday hunger programmes being delivered from the hubs, improving diet and nutrition of people on low incomes living in the area, as well as addressing issues of isolation and supporting community cohesion through group activities.
Aquib’s Case Study (CAMHS participant): “The gardening club has been quite amazing! On the first day the garden was really overgrown but we planned out how we wanted it to be and the next week we did a lot of digging and mowing to get it neat and tidy.
“It was nice because it wasn’t just me who was enjoying it – the other service users were getting a lot of benefit from it too. You could tell from their faces that they were enjoying it and learning a lot. Everyone was really supportive, including the neighbours – no one minded that we made noise when we were mowing the grass and having fun. They even let us harvest some of their spare fruit.
“The more we worked on the garden, the more we could see it was coming together. Eventually we got to a place when were could see the fruit and vegetables, herbs and flowers growing.
“The change between my first sight of the garden and now is amazing – the transformation is my favourite part. The garden is Eden now – it seems like the sun always shines there when before it used to rain.
“[Groundwork Project Officer] James has taught us a lot. Without him we wouldn’t have known anything about gardening and I don’t think the garden would be in the great state it’s in now”.
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Feedback from participants:
“All of us have grown in terms of knowledge, experience and understanding of the environment itself. I’ve made a lot of friends, too, and I’ve become a lot more confident. I’d never done anything like this before.
“I’ve had a really fun time and gardening is very soothing. It’s made me more patient and helped me understand myself as a person. It’s helped me calm down so I don’t just shout out and do things without any thought anymore. I’ve realised that it’s best to think first, so that you don’t hurt other people with what you say or do.”
“It’s made a difference to the others in the group, too. For example, one of them is very hyperactive but he has learnt to control himself and calm down so he can have a comfortable conversation. It’s a real difference compared to how he was at the beginning. Gardening is a good stress relief.”
2. The Butterfly Project
This organisation provides therapeutic support to survivors of domestic abuse, through a range of creative activities such and art making and singing. They also offer women one to one art therapy and the general public expressive art sessions. They were awarded a grant to run a series of art-based therapy sessions to support vulnerable women presenting in a range of ways from mental illness, trauma, loss and those who have experienced domestic abuse.
KG, 32, began attending art therapy to support feelings of despair associated with her children being taken into care. KG has bipolar, learning difficulties, a history of alcohol addiction and self-harm. Initially she felt victimised by social services and felt disempowered by the process. Her Core OM rated highly on negative emotion: ‘feeling overwhelmed by her problems’, ‘distressed by unwanted images and memories’ and as a result ‘finding it difficult to sleep’.
Over the course of therapy, we were able to recognise that her current experience was an enactment of her own childhood with feelings she had held about her mother resurfacing as her own qualities. This realisation enabled us to work more deeply on the symbolic nature of her experience. Before long KG was describing herself through her feelings instead of anecdotal summaries of day to day experience. She began to reflect on her experience more, recognising that her situation had come about due to poor behaviour and this time away from her children was opportunity to explore and improve herself for her and her children’s sake. She also began to realise the support system she had around her and spoke of this as a reflection of her own self value. KG’s evaluation of her time in art therapy spoke of feelings of heaviness at the outset which were now replaced by feelings of optimism and an awareness of her own self-worth and power.
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Feedback from applicants
Below are a few examples of feedback we have received from applicants for this funding period:
“I am very grateful to have received funding from you. It is a clear reflection of the value you see in the work being done. I have learnt a lot during this process and developed many skills to improve the quality of projects moving forward. The Small Charities Forum has been a vital part of this learning journey. Thank you”-Butterfly Project.
We are extremely grateful to the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation for the support we have received through the Luton Airport Ltd Near Neighbours grant scheme. This grant has had an amazingly positive impact on our patients and their families. Thank you.- Rennie Grove Hospice Care
As always its been a pleasure to be able to work with BLCF really great people, easy to access and reach, so helpful and always at hand Thank you- One Stop Advice Centre
Thank you, we really enjoy working with you and the application and reporting system are clear- We are so grateful to BLCF & LLAL for grant funding that supports our work in gangs and CSE prevention, social and emotional wellbeing initiatives, skills development, weekly community dinners and daily Drop-In support, Compass for Year 9s who have been excluded, and many other activities and opportunities. Their financial input has enabled us to positively impact the lives of hundreds of vulnerable and disadvantaged young people each term, and their way of working is inclusive of many different needs across Luton.'- YouthScape
We are so grateful for the support of BLCF and the work you do for organisations. This grant has enabled us to continue the work we do for the community and specifically for young people and volunteers. Our experience working with BLCF has been positive - feedback is always given to help us improve and support is always there if needed.- Greenhouse Mentoring
We are so grateful for the support that BLCF through the Mark West Fund has helped us to provide to 130 vulnerable, homeless and disadvantaged women in Bedfordshire. You have supported us to provide outreach, accommodation and opportunity for 130 vulnerable, homeless and disadvantaged women. These women are rough sleepers, homeless, migrant women with no recourse to public funds and resettled refugees. We have been able to provide dedicated support and move clients forward in their lives, towards independence. We have raised levels of self-confidence and self-esteem and have been an integral part of our clients journey's as they begin to realise their goals of living independently and eventually, not having to rely on benefits. We would like to extend a very big 'Thank You', to you. We wish you all the best with the amazing work that you do!- Kings Arms Project.
It's always a pleasure to work with BLCF. We like the opportunity the Small Charities Forum gives our team. We also really appreciated the 'mentions' on social media during Dementia Action Week and generally throughout the year. We really value the support BLCF has given us since our inception and would welcome a meeting to discuss the support that can be offered in the coming years as we develop.- Music 24Ltd
We have always valued and enjoyed our work with the Foundation and staff are always approachable and helpful.- Noah Enterprise
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