£751,180 to 45 charities supporting young people across Britain

Thanks to players of The Health Lottery, £751,180 will now be distributed to 45 charities across Britain, making a tangible difference to the health and wellbeing of young people. The Health Lottery Foundation is delighted to announce the results of its first open application funding round, held in June.

Delva Patman, Chief Executive of The Health Lottery Foundation, explained:

“Over 2 weeks in June we received almost 2,400 applications for funding. Initially we planned to give out £500,000 but during our shortlisting process we decided to increase the volume of donations. This is because the quality and variety of applications exceeded our expectations. We are thrilled with the projects we’ve chosen to support and look forward to sharing more about their achievements over the next few months. Thank you to every organisation that took the time to apply.”

The projects, that fall under the umbrella of supporting young people, come from all over Britain and focus on a huge variety of different approaches to tackling poor health and wellbeing. They include theatre-led sessions, sport-related activities, mentoring, specialist counselling and animal-aided therapy. The projects are tackling big issues including sexual assault, poor mental health, poverty, low self-esteem, homelessness, spinal injury, terminal illness, allergies and loneliness.

National charity, Read for Good received a £15,000 grant to bring brilliant books and storytellers to hospitals in Wales. Emily May Hughes, Trusts & Foundations Senior Officer said,

“We are absolutely thrilled to have the support of the Health Lottery Foundation and are so excited to be able to continue our work bringing joy, inspiration and distraction to the wards at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff, Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and Glan Clwyd Hospital in Rhyl”

St Andrews Hospice, based in Lincolnshire received funding towards Andy’s Bus – bringing vital specialist hospice care to babies and children in their homes.

Mel Elwis, Bids & Grants Officer from St Andrew’s Hospice said,

“On behalf of everyone at Andy’s Children’s Hospice and St Andrew’s Hospice, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for your generous grant of £11,130 towards Andy’s bus. This gift is both overwhelming and uplifting … Andy’s bus will be pivotal in helping us reach and support children and young people with life-limiting conditions across the region. Your generosity has brought this vision significantly closer to reality, and we are deeply grateful.”

Scottish charity Stable Life received £15,000 to support children through equine-facilitated wellness. Using the calming nature of horses to build confidence and manage anxiety.

Mags Powell, Chief Executive said,

“We are thrilled to have been awarded funding from The Health Lottery Foundation! This amazing support will help us change lives, giving vulnerable young people in the Scottish Borders the opportunity to thrive through our equine-facilitated programmes. With this funding, we can reach even more children and young people, helping them to build confidence, resilience, and brighter futures.”

The Health Lottery Foundation will be promoting the work of each of the projects awarded funding over coming months.

About the projects