Big Lottery Building Better Opportunities Fund

Communities across the South West are set to benefit from nearly £13 million, which will support people most in need to develop the skills and tools to overcome barriers to work, education and training.

Each of the UK’s LEPs have identified the issues challenging their communities (see Gloucestershire’s details below) and the funding, managed by the Big Lottery Fund, will give voluntary, community and social enterprise groups greater access to this wider ESF money than in previous years.

Across England 71 projects have been announced with a total of £174,521,600 available. The first competitive application stage is now open. Grant competitions are fair, open and competitive and any organisation is eligible to apply, however most of the projects will be better suited to partnership working. Full details of all the project outlines in this round are available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/esf.

The project open for applications in Gloucestershire:

A project in the Gloucestershire LEP area to support those with multiple and complex needs to access the job market, including those with physical or learning disabilities, older working age people and young people with low financial literacy. It will draw on local knowledge to meet the needs of local people. Although Gloucestershire is relatively affluent, pockets of persistent deprivation remain, mainly in the inner urban areas of Cheltenham and Gloucester but also in some rural areas. There has also been a rise in the number of people who are long-term unemployed.