A dementia charity in East Lancashire is celebrating after being awarded more than £8,000 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Rawtenstall-based Beacon Dementia and Wellbeing received £8,564 in total from the public body, which gives grants to organisations in the UK to help improve their communities

The charity will use their funding to install an outdoor shed at the Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery, which will run activities for people who want to make new friends, learn or share skills and enhance their wellbeing.

Activities will be dementia-friendly so that people living with dementia can work alongside others within their community without feeling judged or excluded and will feel supported and valued.

This new National Lottery funding will enable the ‘Beacon Shed at the Whitaker’ to be installed and activities such as gardening, woodwork, making and mending, designing, DIY, nature walks and art will be provided.

Rachel Yates Hoyles, charity trustee, said: “From our consultation with our group members, we know that they often feel isolated, have a lack of daily purpose and occupation, a lack of safe opportunities to connect with others and share or make use of their skills.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, this grant means that we can provide a safe space for our existing and new members, where they can socialise, talk about worries, share knowledge and experiences and take part in varied activities to support their wellbeing.

“This will make a big difference to people’s lives in Rossendale and will create new opportunities for people living with dementia.”

During the pandemic, in 2020 alone, The National Lottery Community Fund distributed almost £1 billion to charities and community organisations across the UK.

Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £43 billion has been raised for good causes. National Lottery funding has been used to support over 635,000 projects - 255 projects per postcode area.