Community group bringing together people of South African heritage in Northampton receives £50,000

A community group in Northampton that brings together people of South African heritage has been awarded £50,000 by the National Lottery.

The grant is part of nearly £250,000 given out across the East Midlands to allow groups to come together and celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, has revealed the 92 impactful community projects across the country to receive a share of £4.5 million, five of which are in the East Midlands.

One organisation receiving funding is African Youth Arise in Northampton, which will use its £50,000 grant to bring together young people (aged 11 to 25) with the older generation within the African community, building connections that last long after the Platinum Jubilee. It will act as part of a cultural exchange, designed to improve cultural awareness and discuss common concerns such as the environment and share skills.

Writing on their Facebook page, the group said it was delighted about the award.

"We're delighted to announce our project has received #PlatinumJubilee funding from National Lottery Community Fund, celebrating 70 years of Her Majesty The Queen's reign," a spokesperson said.

"Our project aims to bring generations together to explore and document the generation gap of descendants from commonwealth countries to Great Britain. The legacy of this two-year project is to get a large number of young people to engage with their community and to become ambassadors for their community.

"We’ll have plenty of updates for you coming soon so watch this space! Thanks to #NationalLottery players for making this possible!"

This vital funding has been awarded from The Platinum Jubilee Fund, which was launched in November last year as a £3.5 million programme with grants of up to £50,000 available to 70 organisations, celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years of public service.

Blondel Cluff CBE, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund and Chair of the UK Funding Committee, said: “We are proud to play a key role in this momentous year of celebration across the United Kingdom. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are supporting organisations up and down the country that are making a great difference and bringing purpose and pride to their communities. It is these community groups that perfectly encapsulate the spirit of this Platinum Jubilee year, by creating a legacy of positive change that allows people to prosper and thrive.”