Milton Keynes South MP, Iain Stewart, hosted a funding event with Ben Everitt MP for local community groups with The National Lottery Community Fund - the largest funder of community activity in the UK.
The event was held at The Springfield Centre in Springfield on Friday 29th April to help charities, organisations and similar groups get a better understanding of how to apply for funding from The National Lottery Community Fund and to introduce them to the Thames Valley and Chilterns Region Funding Officer.
Among the 18 groups that were represented at the event were Boxing Clever MK, MK SNAP, the Milton Keynes Hindu Association, the Milton Keynes Irish Centre and MK Money Lifeline.
Not only did the session allow groups to understand more about The National Lottery Community Fund but it was also an opportunity for in-person networking between local community groups which has been missed over the past two years due to the COVID pandemic.
Iain Stewart, the MP for Milton Keynes South, said:
“It was brilliant to host The National Lottery Community Fund event with Ben Everitt MP last Friday with 18 different organisations and charities in attendance.
“The event was an opportunity for the attendees to learn more about The National Lottery Community Fund, with advice on how to apply for grants and how to make a successful application. I am confident that each attendee left with more knowledge on the application process and feeling optimistic in applying for a grant.
“I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Campbell Park Parish Council for hosting the event at The Springfield Centre, their facilities were wonderful.”
Helen Bushell, Senior Head of Region for London, South East & East at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:
“I am incredibly proud to see the amazing impact that money raised by National Lottery players is having in Milton Keynes. This event was a great opportunity to introduce our funding team to the local community and share insights into how charities and community groups can access National Lottery funding.”
“It was fantastic to see so many local projects in attendance and we’d like to thank Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart for hosting this event.”
National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week across the UK for good causes. The National Lottery Community Fund as a distributor ensures a share of this funding goes straight to communities, helping them to tackle important issues such as supporting young people into employment, mental health and climate action.