BBC Children in Need has announced that it has awarded new grants totalling £35,000 to two local projects working with disadvantaged children and young people in Barking and Dagenham. The grants have been allocated through the charity’s Small Grants Programme.
The new funding will enable projects to provide services to young people in the area and means that BBC Children in Need currently has more than £778,000 invested locally. This is the third funding allocation of the year, with additional funding to be allocated to projects across the UK throughout 2019.
One project which has been awarded funding is Shpresa Programme (Albanian for Hope). It will use a three-year grant of £30,000 to provide supplementary school sessions on Saturdays and Sundays for children and young people in the local area. Funding will help to deliver an environment where individuals can engage in positive relationships and build self-esteem.
Sarah Agnes Foundation has also benefitted in this latest round, receiving a three-year grant of £5,000 to provide a range of therapeutic support sessions for children and young people affected by abuse and neglect. Funding will provide a supportive environment where participants can improve emotional well-being, self-esteem and resilience.
Agnes Rees, Executive Director at Sarah Agnes Foundation, commented: “We’re so pleased to receive funding from BBC Children in Need! Funding means we can continue to support children and young people in the local area and encourage them to grow in confidence and as individuals.
Speaking of the new grants, Clare Cannock, Regional Head of South at BBC Children in Need said: “At BBC Children in Need we are committed to improving the lives of children and young people right across the UK and it’s projects like these that continue to make a difference in the local community. The generosity of the British public allows us to make our small grants programme possible and make a positive impact to those who need our support.”
BBC Children in Need’s Chief Executive, Simon Antrobus added: “Our Small Grants programme is a great example of small sums of money delivering a big impact on a local level, and we’re delighted to award funding to projects like this as they work to make a lasting impact on young lives. A big thank you must go to our supporters, who – thanks to their incredible generosity, imagination and commitment – make grants like this possible.”
Across Barking and Dagenham, BBC Children in Need is currently funding 11 projects to a value of £778,482.
BBC Children in Need currently awards grants at six points during the year and funds two types of grants. Our Main Grants Programme is for grants over £10,000 per year to support projects for up to three years. Meanwhile, our Small Grants Programme supports projects for up to three years, and includes grants up to and including £10,000 per year.
BBC Children in Need relies on the generosity and creativity of the thousands of supporters and fundraisers who raise millions of pounds for the charity every year. To date the UK public has raised over £1 billion for children and young people facing disadvantage across the UK.
