Women’s group hits the lottery jackpot

Grant ‘will help change people’s lives’
YEARS of community effort to support women in need have paid off for one local group which is celebrating a bumper cash windfall.

The Westwood and Coldhurst Women’s Association has bagged nearly £193,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The group was set up in 1978 and is mainly run by community champions supported by volunteers.

Now its future has been secured thanks to the grant and a raft of projects are set to go-ahead.

Among those in the pipeline are:

::A scheme to work with black, minority and ethnic women who have been victims of domestic violence.

::Support to women who have experienced forced marriages.

::Schemes to promote healthy living.

Co-ordinator Rina Surjan said: “I was absolutely speechless when I found out, it’s just come at the right time because there is a funding crisis and grants are like gold dust.

“We were really clear about what we wanted to do, and what is brilliant is that members of the local community play a big part in running our projects.”

All of the association’s work is about engaging with hard-to-reach women in the community who may feel isolated in their homes, which can often lead to depression and loneliness.

The association has also been involved with an extensive research project with Oxfam, training local women to gather research in the community and produce a report on the needs of locals.

Rina added: “We’ve found a huge demand for our services but it’s hard times and without such money it’s tough to live up to our standards and provide the type of support we’d love to.

“This will really enable us to strengthen and make our mark on the community and change people’s lives.”

The £192,702 grant to the association is a share of £2.5 million handed out to various organisations by the Big Lottery Fund.