Big Lottery Fund award for play groups

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
24/06/2008

Eight of the borough’s play organisations will have children jumping - dancing and singing for joy after the Big Lottery Fund awarded the council a grant of over £400,000.

The money, a total of £428,000, will be spent by the council over the next three years on enhancing services at the organisations. As a result as many as 15,000 children and young people over the age of eight are in line to benefit.

Each of the eight play organisations provide a range of activities including dance, informal sports, crafts, music, performance and creative expression. And the extra money means that each centre will be able to improve the services they offer to young people.

The organisations will also be helping to reduce crime by providing opportunities to lots of young people - many of whom are often socially and economically excluded.

Cllr Antony Lillis, cabinet member for community and children’s services, said: “This is excellent news and I would like to extend my gratitude to the Big Lottery Fund for their generosity. I am sure that each of the play organisations will make the most of this extra money and will improve yet further the already excellent facilities they provide to young people in Hammersmith & Fulham.”

The eight play organisations in line for this cash windfall are:

African Village Playground mobile play project

Flying Gorillas dance group who will teach everything from tango to streetdance 

Groundwork West London - who will work to develop three run-down play spaces.

William Morris Society - who will engage schools in the work of the famous craftsman William Morris 

The Music House for Children- who help children to create and perform their own music. 

Hammersmith Community Gardens Association – who will be working with children to develop the Loris Road Community Gardens.

South Park Natural Play - who will create an innovative, adventurous natural play area for children.

H&F's own Junior Youth service – who will provide free open access provision for children.