Youth projects benefit from £40m lottery funding

Among those to benefit are projects to support young people affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy. West London-based charity Family Friends has received £26,580 to offer mentoring and befriending services to children, young people and parents living on Kensington's Lancaster West Estate, where the tragedy took place.

In addition, West London charity Midaye Somali Development Network has been given £36,651 to run an activity programme for young people affected by the tragedy.

Other youth projects across the UK to benefit include Bolton-based Zac's Youth Bars, which has been handed £418,730 to support its activities for disadvantaged young people, aged between 11 and 18, to address mental health issues and improve employment prospects.

"We could not continue to reach out to the young people of Bolton without the support of National Lottery funding," said Zac's Youth Bars chief executive Matt Moreton.

"This grant will help us to change the lives of even more young people and give them the support they need at a time when support is needed most."

Another youth initiative to receive one of around 100 of the Big Lottery's Reaching Communities awards, which are worth more than £10,000, is a rural project in Northumberland run by Gallery Youth to address isolation among young people.

The group has received £288,476 for its Meeting the Need initiative, which also aims to reduce risky behavior and improve young people's health through outreach work, group sessions, and one-to-one support.

Five of the Reaching Communities awards are specifically to help groups with building costs. This includes Kingston-upon-Hull group Child Dynamix, which has won £361,860 for work to provide a physical activity centre, IT suite, counselling room and cafe for young people.

Among the 1,300 other awards, which are branded Awards for All and are worth less than £10,000 each, is a £4,587 award to Bardsley Youth Project in Coventry to support young people not in education, employment or training to restore an old Mini motorcar donated by the Coventry Transport Museum.

Meanwhile, ROAR, a disability youth arts festival in Oxford that celebrates the creativity and artistic expression of young people with disabilities received £4,750.

"Young people are the future of our communities, and it is important that we invest in them and the specialist guidance they receive from these projects, said James Harcourt, England director for the Big Lottery Fund.

"When you hear about projects like these you realise the incredible impact the money generated by National Lottery players has had on communities across England. It really is life changing."