Millionaire Street Support For Good Causes: April 2024

IT'S not just our Millionaire Street winners who have something to celebrate. Every month local charities in each of the Millionaire Street winning areas share a combined total of £1 Million too.

Let's take a look at some of the great things players of People's Postcode Lottery are making possible across Britain.

Tilbury Millionaire Street

In April's Postcode Lottery draws our first Millionaire Street prize landed in Tilbury.

Thurrock Play Network has been awarded £25,000 from Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab). The charity aims to make play inclusive to everyone in the community, no matter the age or circumstances.

They also support local people through craft and play, as well as active and creative events and sessions, to tackle issues from social isolation to mental and physical health.

The funding will go towards the development of a sensory garden for patients and local people to enjoy this summer and the costs of a new van.

Sylvia Yates, trustee of Thurrock Play Network, said, "Our annual running costs are around £75,000 so the incredible support received from vital funding raised by the players of People's Postcode Lottery supplies around a third of our annual outgoings. For small non-profit organisations like ours, this is a dream come true."

TPN also takes in stock from businesses that is bound for landfill and upcycle goods. Last year alone the charity managed to save 50 tonnes of waste from being dumped and has already surpassed the 25-tonne mark for 2024.

Sylvia added, "Environment sustainability is hugely important to us and by recycling unwanted goods and products bound for landfill, we're able to help in providing a better more sustainable future for our community."

• CoDa Dance Company - £30,000 A contemporary dance and physical company delivering professional and community performances, workshops and education. The company focuses on work with marginalised people, with a particular focus on neurological conditions and those who would not otherwise access dance.
• Thurrock Christian Fellowship Trust - £25,000 A vibrant, growing local church based in Corringham, Essex, who believe that God has called them to allow the life and love of God to flow out into their community.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab).

Telford Millionaire Street

Our second Millionaire Street prize landed in Telford.

All of the winners told of their pride in helping out local, national and international charities by being players of People's Postcode Lottery.

And one local organisation has benefited from their wins after being awarded £50,000 by Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab).

Volunteer-led Telford Crisis Support creates and distributes emergency parcels to various collection points across the borough of Telford and Wrekin to support individuals and families in financial crisis.

Operations manager Simon Lellow said, "Thanks to the generous funding, we can continue to combat financial poverty and ensure that all those identified and referred by partner agencies receive their emergency parcels as quickly as possible."

Last year alone, the charity's dedicated team of volunteers and staff provided 248,000 meals to local people across the boroughs of Telford and Wrekin. Striving to be more than a food and baby bank, the charity provides a wide range of related support services including a pre-loved school uniform scheme as well as help with home energy and re-homing.

Simon added, "The demand for our services in the local community increased by a third last year due to the cost-of-living crisis, so the funding raised by the players of People's Postcode Lottery couldn't have come at a better time for us.

"Telford Crisis Support is a holistically focused and volunteer-led charity and we are extremely passionate about helping individuals and families who are most in need."

• Home-Start Telford & Wrekin - £25,000 Recruits and trains volunteers to visit families within Telford and Wrekin at home, supporting parents in situations as diverse as isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness, disability or who are finding parenting a struggle.

• Meeting Point Trust Ltd - £50,000 Offers a comprehensive array of services including office space for local charities offering support services to the local community, conference and training rooms, an on-site cafe, and a refreshment service.

• Shropshire Youth Support Trust - £35,000 Provides a range of support for young people who are not in education, employment, or training. Support and empower youth to identify their strengths and passions, whilst giving them the tools to sustain emotional and financial independence.

• Parents Opening Doors (PODS) Telford - £50,000 A parent carer/peer-led charity with staff and volunteers who have the relevant real life experience to support families who have a child with a disability or additional need.

• No Panic - £15,000 A charity helping and supporting people who live with panic attacks, phobias, OCD and other anxiety related disorders.

• Girlguiding Shropshire - £25,000 Enables more than 3,700 girls and young women to develop their potential and to make a difference.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab).

Alcester Millionaire Street

Our third Millionaire Street prize landed in Alcester.

Thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, Alcester Day Care received a game-changing £15,000 from Postcode Community Trust.

Carole Zambonini, founder and chairman of Alcester Day Care, said, "I couldn't believe it when I received the news of the funding.

"The biggest amount we'd ever received was £1,000 so this is incredible. We can get so much with the £15,000 thanks to the players of People's Postcode Lottery, and we're just eternally grateful."

Set up by Carole, who sadly lost her mother to dementia, Alcester Day Care supports people with dementia and memory issues and their carers. The Day Care runs three times a week and provides a safe space and activities such as games and mental exercises, whilst their carers have some respite.

Carole said, "Looking after my mum was incredibly difficult, and we had little to no support. When she sadly passed away, I wanted to set something up for people in the same tough situation.

"There is a big stigma around dementia and there shouldn't be. Our work started off as a cafe open twice a week where people struggling with dementia and their carers could come in and meet up with others, giving them a sense of community and somewhere to share their highs and lows."

While the Alcester Cafe still runs twice a week, the Alcester Day Care has taken the mission of dealing with dementia one step further. Open the other three days of the week, it's a safe space for carers to confidently leave their loved ones, knowing they will be looked after and cared for. The Alcester Day Care takes on a maximum of 12 people per day, ensuring everyone gets the best care possible and all the attention they need.

"Their families say they are more 'themselves' when they've been here - we've even had people who arrived in wheelchairs walking around the Day Care," added Carole.

Other charities in the Alcester area receiving funding thanks to Saturday's Millionaire Street prize win include:

• Wixford Village Hall - £75,000 Local village hall used by the community for lots of different activities and originally built in 1930. A new hall is currently under construction, with the aim of having the building work completed by May 2024.

• 1st Alcester Scout Group - £20,000 A local group of Scouts. They aim to engage and support young people in their personal growth, and developing skills for life. Scouts want to empower youngsters to make a positive contribution to society.

• The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Nicholas Alcester Warwickshire - £20,000 Religious activities. The provision of public worship, teaching, evangelism and pastoral work.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab).

Chester Millionaire Street

Our fourth Millionaire Street prize landed in Chester.

winners spoke of the importance of signing up for People's Postcode Lottery so charities can benefit.

And one local charity, The Bren Project, has been awarded £70,000 by Postcode Community Trust thanks to their wins.

The independent charity offers people with learning disabilities and autism the opportunity to experience supported, bespoke work placements in and around Chester.

Bren Bikes, a working bicycle workshop, is one of the services the charity operates. The in-house training programme supports beneficiaries in developing a wide range of employability skills, overseen by qualified mechanics.

Andrew Ashford, Charity Manager at The Bren Project, said, "The funding we have been awarded has come as a complete shock and will go a long way in supporting the maintenance of our core services - The Bren Project, Bren Bikes and our Wellbeing Hub - as well as kick-starting expansions plans for our long-awaited café, to sit alongside our Bren Bikes provision."

Bren Bikes is a hub of activity for cycling enthusiasts across Cheshire, being positioned in the centre of the North Wales Coastal Route. In 2023 alone the workshop refurbished over 1,500 bicycles.

Andrew added, "The Bren Project has become so ingrained in the wider Cheshire community so it feels very special to be able to start planning our next exciting project, which will help us support more of the community who live with learning disabilities and autism."

Other charities in the area which have benefited from a share in the Millionaire Street pot include:

• Live! Cheshire - £70,000 A charity providing a variety of inclusive and accessible social activities and clubs for all ages. Helping people to have fun, improve confidence and physical well-being and develop social and vocational skills.

• Cheshire Community Council (known as Cheshire Community Action) - £50,000 A charity that aims to engage and support Cheshire communities in helping to influence the places, spaces and services that are important to them. Their key goals include facilitating community-led housing, tackling social isolation and enabling better access to health and social care services.

• SPACE - £70,000 Their mission is to relieve isolation experienced by children with additional needs and their families by providing fully accessible support and facilities. Their centre includes a fully accessible play frame and play area, a fully fitted sensory room, a versatile activity room and a changing place with a hoist.

• Upton JFC Chester - £20,000 Provides football for children from 5 years old, and have thriving adults football including Upton Ladies, Masters, Open Age Youth Teams, Social Football and a Vet's team.

All funding was awarded by Postcode Community Trust (opens in a new tab).