The UK National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund has awarded a £10,000 grant to a college in Durham so that the college can help provide armed service veterans and early service leavers with valuable training to help them find work.
The project at Finchale Training College is one of several projects in the area that have received funding from the Big Lottery Fund's Awards for All scheme and college principal David Etheridge was delighted when he heard the college's bid for funding had been successful.
"We're really grateful for this Big Lottery Funding which will enable us to support veterans on an individual basis to obtain the skills and qualifications they need, to gain the employment they want," Etheridge said. "By working with employers we plan to help participants secure jobs in a range of fields, from the security industry to working offshore on oil rigs."
The Easington-based Life Mapping Community Interest Company has also received cash injection from lottery funds and intends to use their £9,900 grant to help fund a community arts project where members of the community will pool their talents to create a mosaic.
Project coordinator Kelly Youngs said: "We’ve recently run a similar project in Wheatley Hill and it was a great success. It really brought people together and got residents who were socially isolated and lonely for various reasons out and about and increased their confidence hugely."
Each year the Big Lottery distributes 40% of the money the UK National Lottery set aside for good causes. Their Awards for All scheme provides grants of up to £10,000 to projects that can improve local communities.
