£130k windfall for North Wales Deaf Association

Oct 29 2009 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

£130k windfall for Deaf Association

A CONWY support group for deaf and hard of hearing sufferers is celebrating after receiving a £130,000 cash boost from the Big Lotto fund.

The North Wales Deaf Association works throughout North Wales to promote the rights, wishes and needs of Deaf, deafened, deafblind and hard of hearing people by raising awareness of relevant issues and promote the development and provision of appropriate facilities, services and resources so as to improve their quality of life and equal opportunity.

The association, based at Quinton Hazell, Glan y Wern Road, Mochdre, was awarded just over £130,772 to help continue its work in the local community.

NWDA manager Jane Priestley said: “This grant will fund a new full time Rehabilitation and Outreach Worker post. The aim of the scheme is to help people overcome difficulties they may have in their daily lives due to their hearing loss, thereby enabling them to lead independent lives.

“We are very grateful to receive this grant from the Big Lottery, it will make a huge difference to many people who have a hearing loss living in North Wales. Deafness is a hidden disability that causes loneliness and isolation and this grant will help us to support people to overcome some of those difficulties.”

The Big Lottery Fund has so far this year distributing a total of £2,347,818 to support 11 projects across Wales.

The People and Places programme awards grants of between £5,000 and £1 million to support a wide range of programmes across Wales, and has awarded more than £49 million to projects in Wales over the last four years.

In North Wales, two grants have been awarded to projects in Conwy County including NWDA. The first will help the Colwyn Women’s Aid project. The £147,261 award will pay for new members of staff, additional training and a home visiting service.

The second of £300,000is to the Impact Project, a homeless charity for Conwy County.

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk