Community organisations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are celebrating after being awarded a total of £576,000 in National Lottery funding for the last quarter, including £8,000 to Island-based Bodster Equine Assisted Learning CIC.
Bodster has received £8,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to run the ‘Ponies Connecting Communities’ project – an intergenerational project that aims to reduce the stigma around ageing and encourage local community cohesion using equine therapy.
The funding will support 20 people over the age of 50 to run sessions for younger adults, teaching them crafts and encouraging them to engage with nature, as well as joining them in mindfulness activities with ponies.
Jo Boddington, from Bodster said:
“Thank you so much to National Lottery players as without this grant we would not be able to run this project and offer a space where older and younger adults can have the space to enjoy nature and be with our herd of ponies on the ground and regain a sense of self-worth.
“We gain amazing feedback from people we work with about how this is one of the only spaces where they feel comfortable to talk about their worries. The common interest of ponies, nature and crafts will help the two groups interact and develop friendships and support networks.”
Elly De Decker, Joint Head of Funding for Southern region at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:
“When people work together, good things happen. Thanks to National Lottery players we are able to support an exciting range of organisations and projects delivering the activities they want to see in their communities. Many of the projects we have funded this quarter are focussed on bringing those communities together and enabling people to make new connections. With their ideas, knowledge and passion, this money changes lives.”
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In total, 30 community projects across the region have benefitted from money raised by players of the National Lottery.
The National Lottery Community Fund is responsible for giving out money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year it awarded over half a billion pounds (£511.1 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK and supported over 12,000 projects to turn their great ideas into reality.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk.
Bodsters is truly like heaven on earth for me. I feel so lucky to be able to get the help I need out there. Jo and Giles are such selfless and wonderful people who really do care for others, which seems to lack somewhat these days. They do so much work in the community and recently attended the Million Dollar Bash to support Dementia. Jo, Giles, Tippy and of course their volunteers regularly visit Residential homes on the island and even went out to visit the hospital on Christmas day. Jo, Giles and the ponies bring so much joy wherever they go.
With the recent cuts in mental health funding on the island it would be great for Bodsters to get some much needed funding for that. I personally have come on leaps and bounds in the last year down to Jo and her wonderful pony Tippy. I’ve gone from being mostly housebound due to crippling anxiety and the depression linked to it, to be looking at helping people to reduce loneliness in their lives and getting together to learn something new. This is a great deal down to the help I’ve had at Bodsters. I feel like a new person and can’t thank Bodsters enough!