Nat Sloane
The money will help address the stigma that surrounds mental health and support people with their treatment, according to Nat Sloane, chair of Big Lottery Fund England
- This story has been clarified; please see final paragraph
The Big Lottery Fund has awarded £13m through its Reaching Communities programme to 55 charities in England to support people with mental health issues, along with their carers and families.
Awards ranged from just under £500,000 to the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Outreach Team for a domestic violence advice service, down to about £38,000 to Action for Achievement for a community arts programme in Liverpool.
The £130m Reaching Communities programme offers grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 to organisations in England that help to build stronger communities and help people in need.
Nat Sloane, chair of the Big Lottery Fund England, said: "It is estimated that one in four people will experience mental health difficulties at some point in their lives and it can happen at any time. I am therefore delighted the Big Lottery Fund has invested this significant sum of money in projects that will go a long way towards removing the stigma that surrounds mental health issues and supporting people in their treatment and recovery."
- A spokeswoman for the BLF said £13m had been awarded to support a range of causes and not just mental health charities
