Member Article

Liverpool Community Centre Celebrates Key Milestone Thanks To The National Lottery

A National Lottery funded project is celebrating 20 years of supporting people in the area.

The L30 Community Centre, which launched in 1998, is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, using money raised by National Lottery players.

The centre welcomes up to 200 members of the local community every week and provides the space for classes such as arts and crafts, cupcake making, yoga and knit and natter groups.

Each of the sessions is taught by volunteers who are local people passionate about their subject, enabling other community members to learn from them and acquire new skills. Rather than simply arranging activities at the centre and inviting local people to attend, the L30 Community Centre enables the community to take the lead on what they want to see happening and supports them to share their talents and passions.

Last year it received £296,000 of National Lottery funding to support its work over the next four years. This has allowed the centre to recruit new members of staff dedicated to expanding their programme of activities, working alongside more members of the community and encouraging them to get involved.

Providing an essential learning platform, the centre gives people the opportunity to learn new skills and grow in confidence. Kim Woodall, 56 from Netherton, is one of the people to benefit and she now runs the arts and crafts group.

Kim was involved in a head-on car collision which left her with a broken neck and multiple serious injuries. In the years that followed, Kim’s body recovered but she was left depressed due to losing her job, which later caused further mental health issues from a change of lifestyle.

She said, “It is no exaggeration to say after my accident, I never left the house. I only came across the L30 Community Centre by chance and I went along to meet new people – fast forward six years and I’m still coming every week!

“I’ve been a part of the arts and crafts group for the last five years and I can say it’s made all the difference to me, it’s given me a purpose. Even before my accident I would never have had the confidence to stand up and run a group like this.

“It’s fantastic that there’s somewhere nearby where members of the public can all come together and learn a new skill, all while having a great time. I have no doubt that it’s a pillar of the community.”

Debbie Stephens, Chief Executive at the L30 Community Centre, said: “We’re all about building on what’s strong, not what’s wrong. I’ve been involved with this centre for more than 17 years and I’ve seen first-hand that we need to be supporting our residents rather than simply providing services for them.

“We are empowering our community, giving them the confidence to achieve their dreams, all while creating a fun and social environment.

“It’s thanks to players of The National Lottery that we can reach out to those most in need and help build something that Netherton should be really proud of.”

James Harcourt, England Grant-Making Director at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to support fantastic projects like the L30 Community Centre, which is making such a difference to local peoples’ lives.

“It not only provides an important service in teaching new skills, but it also brings different people together and creates a real sense of community in the local area.”

National Lottery players raise on average £30 million every week for projects across the UK, both big and small, from supporting community groups to funding the nation’s athletes. To see the difference National Lottery funding makes in your area, please visit, www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Henry Roberts .