The Freedom Centre
£0.5m BIG Lottery grant for new 'Bridging The Gap' project
We have just heard that our application for almost £500,000 from the BIG Lottery Reaching Communities fund has been successful!
Bridging The Gap
'Bridging The Gap' is a new project to be run by Freedom Social Projects here at the Freedom Centre in Barnstaple. The project aims to reach out to vulnerable and disadvantaged people, empowering them to improve their quality of life and enabling them to become better integrated into the community.
Overlooked Or Ignored
“In our work, we often see people who are experiencing quite severe problems in their lives,” says project manager Phil Noall. “They may be in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation, in poor mental or physical health, experiencing breakdown of family or other relationships, or desperate about how they can feed and clothe their children when they don’t have enough money. In those circumstances it is easy for people to feel that they are invisible, that they have no voice, that they are overlooked or ignored. In extreme cases, some will have turned to drugs, alcohol, and even criminal behaviour.”
“There is help available, but many have no idea where to look, or find it hard to engage with because of the chaotic nature of their problems. That is the gap we are looking to bridge in this project. We aim to break through this sense of hopelessness by offering them time and attention in a safe, friendly environment. Together we will work through the issues which affect them, and ensure they are able to receive the help and support that is available to them.”
IT and Health, Diet & Fitness
The BIG Lottery grant will be spread over four years, and will enable Freedom Social Projects to continue to offer its Open Access Day Centre, with two Day Centre Workers, a Gym Instructor, a Kitchen Manager and, as computer literacy becomes ever more essential, a Digital Inclusion specialist.
More details will follow soon on this website, in the media, and through our social media channels.
Transforming Lives
It is a big ask. Change is part of life, today perhaps more than ever. The butterfly on the Freedom logo sums up all that we seek to do. We are here to encourage and enable people to shake off everything that holds them back and see them fly free. The process of transformation, though, is rarely quick and easy. Some may even find it painful.
But no-one has to face this alone: it is why we are here.
We are a Christian charity, here for the overlooked and the ignored, to demonstrate the heart and love of God in our community.
The Centre
Together with some of the other organisations in the Freedom family, we are based at the Freedom Centre. The building is a former industrial unit which has undergone its own transformation to provide a warm, welcoming environment for people looking to make significant progress towards finding a fulfilling place in society.
