Clwyd West MS Darren Millar handed over a cheque for £10,000 from the National Lottery to a project in his constituency this week which will help them tackle loneliness in the local community.

Darren visited Outside Lives, which is based in Maeshafn, near Mold, to present Founding Director, Lucy Powell, with the cheque from the National Lottery Community Fund for their ‘Breaking Bread /Torri Bara’ project, which provides communal meal social events to combat isolation and loneliness.

Speaking after his visit, Darren said:

“It was a real pleasure to visit Outside Lives to meet Lucy, volunteers and beneficiaries of the organisation, and present them with this substantial sum from the National Lottery Community Fund. They are doing wonderful work which is making a real difference in the lives of individuals in the locality.

“Sadly, there are many people in our communities living in isolation, so I very much welcome the Breaking Bread project which Outside Lives are able to operate thanks to this funding. It was good to learn more about the project during my visit, as well at the broader aims and achievements of Outside Lives. They are carrying out some great work in Denbighshire and further afield and I wish them well going forward.”  

He added:

“The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest non-statutory community funder in the Wales with the community at the heart of our purpose, vision and name. It distributes money raised by the National Lottery to thousands of organisations across Wales and in the last five years has funded Clwyd West with approximately £2.4 million for 87 projects.”

Outside Lives have also received the following funding from The National Lottery Community Fund:

• Wales COL - Cost of Living Magic Mondays:  Using a £48,792 grant the project, over one year, will provide a weekly day of wellbeing activity (9am-7pm), in a welcoming space in Mold, Flintshire.

• Social Connections and Growing Skills: The project were awarded a £71,565 for a one year pilot of person centred, supported volunteering programme co-produced with beneficiaries. The applicant will target people who experience mental health challenges, homelessness, autism, dementia or have learning or physical disabilities.

• Croeso Pawb: Everyone Welcome Outside Lives Ltd in Denbighshire will improve the access to the site for people with mobility challenges to engage with wellbeing activities. £10,000 will fund construction, materials, overheads, publicity and volunteer refreshments.

• Handy and Capable: The funding is being used to hire a team to care for, develop, enhance and manage the community garden so a range of activities can be offered at the site for the community. The project aims to bring together a team of people to increase community activity and to provide learning opportunities to those most affected by the pandemic.

• C19 Ty Lles (Wellness House) Outside Lives Ltd in Denbighshire will erect a yurt in which they will provide wellness activities to support the community with challenges that have arisen from the Covid-19 pandemic. £9,999 will fund the yurt, ground works and a log burner.

A spokesperson for Outside Lives said:

“Our mission is to facilitate stronger, healthier community connections through the celebration and protection of our natural world. We are committed to creating a culture of inclusivity and diversity across everything we do, ensuring that we offer a place of genuine inclusion for everyone, regardless of age, gender, or ability.

“This funding from the National Lottery will go a long way to helping us achieve our aims.

“We would like to thank all National Lottery players as without them we would not have received this funding, and also Darren Millar for coming to visit and presenting us with the cheque.”