THE National Lottery Community Fund is supporting people and communities through COVID-19. Funding has been expanded to help communities all over Wales look positively to the future.

The cause is holding a virtual support session for community groups and charities in Flintshire on Monday, March 8.

This session will give communities more information about applying to them for a National Lottery grant and reinforce the new funding priorities.

They are particularly keen to speak to community groups who have never applied for a National Lottery grant before.

Ruth Bates, Interim Wales Director for The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Our role as a funder of community-led activity has never been so important. We are here to support community groups and charities to access National Lottery funding.

“We are particularly focused on supporting groups adapt, recover and thrive. Our local funding teams are all working remotely and ready to talk to you about your ideas to support communities through and beyond these unprecedented times.

“We want to fund projects that matter to people and communities, and we know that the most successful project are the ones that have been developed by the people who will benefit from them.

“We also understand that these are challenging times for third sector organisations, and we are therefore pro-actively supporting groups through offering organisational development support.”

Funding, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, is available to support organisations to adapt, recover and thrive through the National Lottery Awards for All and People and Places programmes.

National Lottery Awards for All awards up to £10,000 for a range of community projects, including projects that are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

People and Places awards up to £500,000 for communities to work together to make positive impacts on the things that matter to them.

The National Lottery Community Fund will fund organisational development as part of the project and a StrengthChecker has been developed to help customers identify their community’s strengths to build on.

Since April 2020, The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded over £20 million to charities and communities across Wales who are changing lives and offering hope to many of those affected by the pandemic.

National Lottery players raise £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.

If you are interested in attending a virtual session, please book a place by going online to https://tocyn.cymru/event/423eef74-f163-4ac3-970e-1448ad476667/s or sending an email to heather.hicks@flvc.org.uk.