Bridges Community Centre was delighted to receive the news that its application for a grant from the Big Lottery Fund has been successful. This will enable the appointment of a full time Development Officer for three years to greatly extend the centre’s activities – particularly in the evenings, holidays and weekends. Their work will focus on reaching out to and supporting areas of the community that might not currently be involved with Bridges.

The Centre Director Mark Walton commented: “This is a great opportunity to move the Bridges Centre forward. There are a large number of young families moving into the area, particularly on to the new estates that are rapidly expanding. Many of these families experience feelings of loneliness and isolation, as they often do not have an extended family network to support them located nearby. There is a growing need for family based activities at The Bridges Centre at weekends and during holiday periods to enable these young families (including many single mothers) to take part in social and community activities which will help them integrate into the family and combat feelings of isolation.

There are nearly 1,000 people a week already using Bridges for a wide range of activities but there is still huge potential for more extensive use of the wonderful building and its excellent facilities. We would like to encourage individuals and groups who are not currently using the Centre to find out what we can offer and look forward with excitement to using this funding to build even stronger bridges with all sections of the community.”

Owen Batty (aged 17) is a keen supporter of Bridges. His band ‘Red Exit Girl’ have recently played a gig at Bridges and he feels it is an excellent venue for this type of event. He wrote to the Big Lottery Fund in support of the bid and is delighted that it has been successful. He commented, “There is not enough for young people to do in Monmouth in the evenings and at weekends and this leads some to get themselves into trouble. My friends and I will be keen to work with the new Development Officer to extend the range of activities that are currently available to young people at Bridges.”

The first step in getting this ambitious new project off the ground will be the appointment of the Development Officer. The post will be advertised in early September and it is hoped that the project will be officially launched in the next few months.

Editors Notes:
1. Bridges was set up as an independent charity in Monmouth in 1984 to provide support and care for the local community. Its aim is, quite simply, to build bridges between people from all parts of the community. It moved into Drybridge House in 2003 and is now a thriving centre for learning, care and support, health and well-being, community arts and entertainment, and a range of local services. Bridges does not receive any regular funding from local or central government but owes its success to the strength and commitment of local volunteers and supporters and to the organisations that fund its projects.

2. Bridges has been awarded £98,400 from the Big Lottery Fund. This money will be used to appoint and support a Development Officer for three years whose main role will be to bring new groups into the Bridges Centre and extend usage.
The Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lotteries Charities Board (which made grants under the name of the Community Fund). Big Lottery Fund, launched on 1 June 2004, is distributing half of National Lottery good cause funding across the UK.

Big Lottery Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money. To date, the two merged Funds have committed more than £5 billion to initiatives with national, regional and local partners from the public, voluntary, charity and private sectors, with a particular focus on disadvantage.