Anglia Projects

ITV Anglia transmits to Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.

Over the past five years of the People’s Millions competition we have seen some great projects in the region. Previous winners include community gardens, a bandstand, a big green tractor, a mobile sensory playroom and many more!

Luton Road Sports Field

This Parish Council is responsible for the upkeep and day-to-day management of a large sports field situated on the periphery of the village. The field is used by a variety of organisations but suffers from poor drainage, rendering large parts of it unusable during wet weather. Water-logging has also damaged parts of the field. The proposed project is to install a reliable drainage system and improve the surface of the pitches to ensure the future durability of the facility. This will consequently provide improved access to the sporting opportunities for the whole of the local community.

Lukeswood

The project will encourage people to get in touch with nature in their local area by buying a plot of land within the village and creating a community wild space, which will be open and accessible to everyone. With the help of local volunteers the organisation will clear the area of rubbish, plant native trees and hedgerows, create a disabled friendly footpath to link with the village allotments and cemetery, create a traditional orchard, improve and extend wildlife habitats, as well as design and create an outdoor learning area.

Youth Counselling & Support Centre

The project will create a youth counselling and support centre through renovating the building the charity currently has a 20 year lease for. The renovations will include creating training and therapy rooms, a second floor, offices, reception, kitchen, and toilets including a disabled toilet. The improvements to the building will enable the charity to provide more and better quality care to the young people living within the Harlow area. If Young Concern Trust is successful with the People's Millions it can then match the funding with promised support from the Fowler, Smith & Jones Trust and the charity’s own funds to refurbish the former Dashes Family Centre and establish a new Centre, and the charity will: • Double the number of children and young people to 1,000 who can access counselling and therapeutic groupwork (including new projects to tackle teenage pregnancy and promote sexual health) • Offer innovative and accessible e-counselling services • Target counselling services at looked after children to enhance their self-esteem, confidence and aspirations • Improve outcomes for children and young people in line with the Every Child Matters agenda: improving health, reducing inequalities and social exclusion • Act as a hub for other children and young people’s services • Expand the charity’s geographic coverage to neighbouring communities. Former-Essex High Sheriff, Lady Diana Kemp-Welch is a co-founder of Young Concern Trust, which is now in its 21st year of operation, says: “I remain convinced that there is, and that there will be an increasing demand for the charity’s services. We need a new youth counselling centre to enable us to broaden and increase what we do. Early intervention is vital to breaking the intergenerational cycle of under-achievement and social breakdown. Young Concern will be able to provide better services to children and young people, enabling them to turn their young lives around.” Some key facts about Young Concern Trust: • It is a small charity providing professional, free and confidential youth counselling services; many of whom are disadvantaged and have experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse. • As a dynamic charity, working with almost 500 children and young people aged 11-25 every year, the aim is to contribute to their mental health, develop confidence and self-esteem. • Counselling is provided on a one-to-one basis, in groups and often in local community settings including schools. Up to six sessions are provided at times to suit from Monday through to Saturdays, including evenings. • Works in partnership with other local agencies: the PCT, local authorities, colleges and schools, the Connexions service and St Clare Hospice. The counselling team is fully qualified to help children and young people with: *bereavement *relationship*bullying*emotional difficulties*anger management and self-esteem problems. • Recent evaluation (from a baseline of 72 clients) found that 93% said the counselling was useful, and believed their problems had been well understood by their counsellor, and claimed to be much better able to cope in their lives. • Young Concern is a BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) Accredited service.

Mow & Grow People's Project

Mow and Grow - Cutting Grass, Cutting Crime, Cultivating Futures The Mow & Grow East Anglian People's Project aims to set up a new gardening and training service covering eastern England, in particular rurally isolated areas. We are currently based in the most deprived areas of Norfolk and Suffolk but want to cover more areas with our services. We provide a free or low cost garden and tree surgery services for vulnerable people in the community and community groups whilst providing skills training, accredited qualifications and work experience to those struggling to get work. We are an accredited OCN (open college network) assessment centre which delivers hundreds of qualifications free of charge each year and helps thousands of vulnerable people each year. We have won many awards such as Enterprise of the Year 2006 & 2007, Pride of the East 2007, Social Enterprise Mentor of the Year 2007, ARCH Award 2008, Suffolk High Sherriff Award 2008, Greenest Business 2009, Norwich Eco Award 2009 was a finalist in the BITC Award 2009 and National Crime Beat Award 2009. The People’s Millions award would help us expand our existing services by setting up new teams to help more people both with their gardens and helping the unemployed gain new skills which should help them get work in the future either with ourselves or other employers.

Modernisation of hydrotherapy pool

The project will provide better changing and showering facilities for the school's physiotherapy pool in addition to installing a ceiling mounted track hoist to enable more disabled people to access the pool. The school believes that these changes will enable a greater number of community members with physical and mental disabilities or injuries to use the facilities to aid their treatment.

Church to Community Coffee Shop

The project will re-furbish the community building so that the organisation can increase and improve the level and range of service that it offers the local community. The improvements will include the creation of a coffee shop, children's play area, fair-trade outlet and a display and information area for community activities. The centre will be redecorated and lit in keeping with the architecture of the church to enhance the aesthetic beauty and the visual impact of the building. The centre will have the capacity to run activities throughout the day and evening when the improvements have been made. For further details see our website at "www.cottenhamcc.org":http://www.cottenhamcc.org, follow us on "Facebook":http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cottenham-Community-Centre/200986972048 and "Twitter":http://twitter.com/CottenhamCC