Geoff Thomson MBE, NOF Board member and renowned sportsman, makes an impassioned speech before handing the cheque over to Dudley councillors.

LOTTERY CASH BRINGS YOUNGSTERS OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE MUSIC AND CLIMB MOUNTAINS

Music making and mountaineering are lined up with archery, ballet and cricket this month among the 50 major summer school projects being supported with a £4.8 million boost of Lottery good causes money from the New Opportunities Fund.

The summer fun activities for young people will benefit pupils at over 600 schools across the UK.

These awards bring to more than £188.4 million the total of National Lottery good causes money spent by the Fund since 1999 through its out of school hours learning programme across the UK.

An award of £569,000 to Dudley Local Education Authority will fund a summer programme of creative learning activities for primary school children in Dudley and Walsall including work with professional artists to create original pieces of art to be sited in their school grounds.

DUDLEY CELEBRATES LARGEST LOTTERY AWARD

Education chiefs in Dudley are celebrating after a groundbreaking project to develop children’s creativity has been awarded the largest share of £1.5 million lottery cash across the West Midlands. The New Opportunities Fund announced today that Dudley LEA is to get £569,410 to expand its out of school hours learning programme to include 3,000 primary age pupils from across the region.

Lindsay Newton, Dudley’s Head of Development, said:
“I’m delighted that Dudley Council has got the largest award in the region. The national panel was so impressed with our application they increased our grant to enable us to run our programme across the whole of the West Midlands. The Impact Project will provide a five-day summer school programme of exciting high quality creative learning activities for over 3,000 children, particularly for those in disadvantaged areas. We shall be concentrating our activities in the Black Country but shall be inviting schools from right across the region to take part.”

The four-year project will work with 120 schools across the West Midlands and aim to help pupils do their very best at school, raise their levels of achievement and creativity and increase their enjoyment of school and the learning process.

During each summer school 9 and 10 year olds will work with teams of professional artists, teachers, classroom assistants and volunteers to help them develop an exciting programme of activities including making an original piece of artwork that will be sited in their school grounds. The project will be documented on a special website creating a regional virtual sculpture trail and all year round online resource for children and teachers across the region and beyond.

John Freeman, Director of Education and Lifelong Learning, said:
“This is tremendous news for Dudley. We are developing a national reputation for managing these large lottery projects and I am delighted that this award will enable us to disseminate our work across the region. We shall target children who find success at school difficult and ensure that they have the best possible chance to become effective learners and make the most of their educational opportunities.”