Local peer-led charity, Faraway, is today celebrating after being awarded over £230,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work in providing support for Autistic adults in North East Lincolnshire. The charity, based in Grimsby, will use the money to recruit and support Peer Support Workers and Volunteers, who will provide advice, peer support and safe places for neurodivergent individuals to connect with others, develop new skills and pursue and share their passions.
Faraway has been running since November 2019 and is staffed by a majority autistic team of 10 staff. It was founded by Laurie Kennedy, Dr Jayne Moran, Thomas Jones and Tina Seed after they realised that the community was struggling to provide peer support to the local autistic community, and this had caused many neurodivergent people to feel isolated and without social inclusion.
The charity now supports over 100 Autistic people across North East Lincolnshire with a wide range of special interest groups, outdoor activities, peer support networks and self-development opportunities and provides valuable peer-led support both before and after diagnosis in partnership with, and supported by, our local Integrated Care Board.
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see Faraway’s delivery expanding to support more autistic and neurodivergent people and further develop job and volunteering opportunities.
Laurie Kennedy, a founder of Faraway, says:
“As an autistic man, I sometimes can feel isolated or lost within our greater community as there is still a lot of understanding and learning in the field of Autism for the general public. We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in our community and seeks to support us to give even more of our beneficial support. With the funding, we endeavour to expand our reach and further develop the community’s understanding of Autism and give life-enriching opportunities to the amazing individuals in our neurodiverse community.”
Lucy Mager, Peer Mentor from Faraway, says:
“I have learned so much over the four years I have worked with Faraway. I have been encouraged to undertake numerous training courses and professional accreditations such as a Coaching Diploma, Autism Peer Supervisor Training, and a Mindfulness Teacher’s Accreditation. Some of the most valuable skills I have come through working on projects that I have worked on or designed myself, such as project management, budgeting using spreadsheets, and bid writing.”
A Member from Faraway, says:
“All the staff went above and beyond; our individual needs and limitations were supported without prejudice and as such new workarounds in my brain were developed as coping strategies for complex/difficult tasks going forward.”
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.
As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects to turn their great ideas into reality.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
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