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Preston Women's Refuge, a lifeline project supporting victims of domestic abuse, and the city's Blooming Brilliant! project, an innovative regeneration scheme to clean and green the streets of Preston, will share in close to £725,000 in grants announced today by the Big Lottery Fund.

The grants come from BIG's Reaching Communities scheme that aims to improve the lives of people in need across the North West.

Helen Bullough, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the North West, said: "We are delighted to award this funding for projects that will protect and provide those who are less fortunate with new opportunities for improved chances in life, and work to create greener and cleaner environments for all the community to enjoy.

"These projects are excellent examples of how Reaching Communities is enabling local organisations to make a real and vital difference to the lives of people across the North West.

A vital scheme to protect and support women and children who have been victims of domestic violence, today receives a £500,000 cash injection.

"Preston Women's Refuge - Live in Hope will use the funding to continue and expand a drop-in centre, a specialist BME outreach service and a volunteering programme.

Providing women who have been victims of domestic violence with a safe place to seek guidance, the centre offers legal advice, specialist counselling and housing information, while the outreach service enables women from BME communities, to access support from a worker who understands their cultural and religious issues.

The volunteering programme, which offers training in administration, IT and telephony, will help enable volunteers to move into paid employment or to re enter education.

Valerie Wise, Director of Preston Women's Refuge said: "We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this grant by the Big Lottery Fund.

"This is a real lifesaver for Preston Women's Refuge and means we will be able to continue vital services for women and children who are the victims of domestic violence.

"The money means we will be able to keep open our very successful Drop In Centre - The HOPE Centre, continue our volunteering project and support more women from the Black and Minority Ethnic Community by employing a specialist outreach worker."

An exciting initiative, which will invite the whole community of Preston to join together to improve their environment, receives £224,639.

Launched by The Lancashire Wildlife Trust Limited, Preston's Blooming Brilliant! project is all set to have the town living up to its Proud Preston motto with local communities banding together to cultivate gardens and flowerbeds, get involved in 'cleaning and greening' streets, and rolling up their sleeves to get working on larger local regeneration projects.

The project will also support the local groups and organisations that have made environmental improvements in the last two years, including tenants, residents and youth groups, nurseries and children's centres, schools, BME communities, churches and disabled groups.

The scheme, part of the Trust's Britain in Bloom initiative, aims to improve the image of Preston for everyone to enjoy, and instil local pride in making the community a better place to live.

Daveen Wallis, Community Projects Manager at the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said: "The whole team working on community projects in Preston are absolutely delighted to be receiving this funding for continuation and development of our work with community groups in achieving Britain In Bloom awards.

"Blooming Brilliant will now ensure that the valuable work achieved to date by local communities can continue to flourish and we can support new groups to contribute to such a prestigious award that provides a valuable boost to peoples confidence as well as pride in their neighbourhoods."

9:57pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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