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Press Releases
91Èȱ¬ Children in Need gives £20million in grants
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91Èȱ¬ Children in Need is delighted to announce that Pudsey will be dishing out a record-breaking £20million worth of grants to projects which will positively change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.
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This spring allocation is the first of two rounds of grants which are possible thanks to a predicted Appeal 2007 income of over £36million.
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Following the Appeal night last November, which raised another record-breaking total of £19,089,771, 91Èȱ¬ Children in Need has received additional donations from fundraisers, schools and businesses across the UK.
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Thousands of fundraisers "did something different", including a sponsored sleepover in a haunted castle, a trek all the way to the South Pole and a brass band concert in a swimming pool.
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Since November, the 91Èȱ¬ charity has received thousands of applications for funding. These are rigorously assessed and considered in the months leading up to April by eight committees who pass on their recommendations to the Trustees of the charity.
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The 832 projects finally selected all work with children and young people who may be affected by homelessness, neglect, abuse or poverty, or those who have encountered serious illness, disabilities and psychological disorders.
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All of the grants are targeted to areas where they will make a real difference and are allocated geographically to ensure that from Aberdeen to Larne, Rhyl to Darlington, Cornwall, Oxford and the Isle of Man, all corners of the UK receive a share of the money raised.
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The average amount awarded to a project this year is £23,916 with grants ranging in size from £300 to the largest single grant of £144,130.
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The award of £300 continues a long-standing relationship with Honeytree Nursery in Shotts, Lanarkshire, funding a day trip to Blair Drummond Safari Park for children from single parent and low income families.
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The £144,130 grant is going to the Seaham Youth initiative based in Durham and will help fund support activities designed to develop social skills and improve educational standards of young people in the area, aged 11 to 18.
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David Ramsden, CEO of 91Èȱ¬ Children in Need, says: "Every single grant will make a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. We can only do this due to the amazing energy and commitment of our fundraisers and donors."
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For a list of April 2008 grants, by region, please see: bbc.co.uk/pudsey/charity/grants.
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Notes to Editors
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Northern Ireland
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A total of £1,751,803 is being distributed to 189 diverse projects including the Fox Park Residents Association in County Tyrone. Fox Park, about five miles outside of Omagh town, is a rural area where local public transport ceases at 5.00pm, increasing the social isolation for the families living in the area.
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The project is working to build on community relations where there are limited structured hobbies outside of school and will create opportunities for children and young people to take part in physical activities, develop friendships, reduce rural isolation and develop their social skills. A one year grant of £1,021 will pay for a fun day, a family outing, a mother-and-toddler group and youth club costs.
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Scotland
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One hundred and thirty eight grants totalling £2,931,658 are reaching a wide range of projects including a grant of £43,370 awarded to ANCHO – Community Link project based in Irvine, Ayrshire. The organisation provides a support service to the local community which has very few facilities and high unemployment.
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The project will provide a youth information drop-in cafe where young people can go to use IT facilities, get help with homework and study and have a safe place to meet and relax. ANCHO will also offer the local young people positive encouragement to progress into further education or work experience.
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This two-year grant will pay towards the salary of a full-time Youth Co-ordinator plus a contribution towards equipment costs in the first year.
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Wales
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Sixty-one grants totalling £1,497,928 are being sent to projects including Digartef Ynys Môn based in Holyhead on the island of Anglesey. Digartef (Welsh for "91Èȱ¬less") is establishing a new service in Anglesey based on the well tried "Nightstop" model.
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Nightstop Ynys Môn will provide emergency accommodation for 16 to 18-year-old single homeless young people on a night at a time basis in the homes of approved volunteers. Young people will have exclusive use of a bedroom, be provided with an evening meal and the chance to be in a safe environment with people who are prepared to listen if required.
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Young people are then referred back to an agency that will help with longer term solutions or back to Nightstop for another night if necessary. The grant of £68,753 will fund the co-ordinator of the scheme and project costs.
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North West England
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£2,362,500 has been allocated to 82 projects across the North West, including J-U-M-P Jacobs Unique Memory Pot. The project aims to capture achievements that can often enable a child to deal more positively with illness or disability.
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Based in the Warrington area, a grant of £22,500 over three years will help to provide access to video and digital equipment to enable children and young people who are affected by terminal illness or disability to record memories to share with their families.
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This could range from a disabled child taking part in a recreational or educational activity to a child that has limited time to live being able to share some positive experiences with their family such as a day trip or a special birthday party.
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North East England
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£2,235,555 will reach 64 projects in the area including Escape Intervention Services in South Tyneside. This project will provide counselling and emotional support to children and young people in the area who do not receive support through statutory provision. Many of the young people are experiencing depression as a result of family breakdown, use of alcohol, bereavement and abuse.
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Escape will work on an outreach basis in community venues and help with therapeutic interventions in partnership with other support organisations in the areas of anger management and confidence-building courses, complementary therapies, residentials and counselling.
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91Èȱ¬ Children in Need has awarded a three-year grant of £86,688 which will fund a Project Development worker and core costs.
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Midlands and East England
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£2,726,780 will be awarded to 83 projects including the Taste For Adventure Centre in Herefordshire in the West Midlands.
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The centre provides fully accessible indoor and outdoor play opportunities and adventure activities for disadvantaged children and young people including those with disabilities and those from deprived, usually inner city areas, who have limited play opportunities. Ìý
The 91Èȱ¬ Children in Need grant of £44,688 will fund a Special Needs Instructor for three years and enable the organisation to purchase acoustic percussion instruments.
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London and South East England
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A total of £4,385,329 will help 137 grants including the Manor Gardens Welfare Trust, which will receive £45,485 over three years to provide a package of learning workshops to disadvantaged young people in Islington, aged 10 to 18.
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The project will work with 30 young people each year who are disadvantaged due to homelessness, drug or mental health problems. It will teach them essential life skills such as healthy cooking, food hygiene, exercise tasters, budgeting and stress management sessions.
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The 91Èȱ¬ Children in Need funding will go towards salary costs for the existing full-time Community Kitchens Project Co-ordinator, sessional staff and some associated project costs.
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South West England
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Seventy-eight projects are receiving £2,006,513. A three-year grant was awarded to Torridge Voluntary Services to run a new drop-in centre in Bideford, Ilfracombe and Barnstaple in North Devon and to extend respite provision to twice-monthly and help cope with the increasing number of young carers.
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£94,940 will provide two respite activity days (2 x 8 hours) per month, one for the under 10s and one for the over 10s. These respite breaks will include an outdoor activity day or a visit to a theme park.
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Approximately 25 young carers will attend each respite activity and 15 young carers will attend each drop-in session.
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91Èȱ¬ Children in Need is a registered charity, number 802052.
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The 2008 91Èȱ¬ Children in Need Appeal will take place on 14ÌýNovember 2008.
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