Healthy lifestyles for all
Some of the city’s most vulnerable people will benefit from community-based food projects through Big Lottery Fund’s Wellbeing programme. Health initiatives will be provided for people with disabilities, learning difficulties and those who are overweight or obese.
Chances4Change will promote healthy eating, increase understanding of the links between local food and healthy lifestyles, and encourage social interaction. They will also work towards improving young people’s mental health through promoting healthy relationships, positive images and aspirations, encouraging social interaction and raising awareness of online safety. Brighton & Hove Food Partnership will deliver work to increase access to community food projects.
A grant of £1.8m was awarded to Chances4Change, to help more than 6,000 people in the South East. The initiative will work in five geographical areas: Brighton & Hove, Southampton, Portsmouth, East Sussex and Slough.
Tom Scanlon, Director of Public Health at Brighton & Hove City Council said: “Winning this bid is really great news. Sometimes, even with our best efforts, those who most need advice and support miss out. These funds will help develop a whole host of initiatives that will support the city’s most vulnerable people, some of whom struggle with their diet, with exercise and with poor mental health.”
Notes to Editors
The Big Lottery Fund, the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
BIG’s Well-being programme: In 2007, Big Lottery Fund awarded £165m funding through its Well-being programme to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being. The programme focuses on three strands: mental health – to help people and communities to improve mental well-being; physical activity – to help people to become more physically active in their daily lives and in their communities; and healthy eating - for children, parents and the wider community to eat more healthily. To deliver this programme, The Big Lottery Fund appointed a number of organisations that will each deliver a portfolio of projects in England. The funding awarded today builds on the work of the portfolios in each region and on a national level.