A WEST Devon charity has been awarded almost £100,000 to launch a new project helping community groups in the area.
The National Lottery Community Fund has donated £97,706 to West DEN to fund its three-year Communities in Action project, which kicks off in the New Year.
The project involves training and employing four community workers who will help increase the skills and expertise of local groups so that they can find funding and develop projects in their towns and villages.
In addition to the Community Fund grant, the Tudor Trust is providing £45,000 to cover the salaries of the four part-time workers, and the Baring Foundation is giving £8,000 towards training costs.
Kate Wright, a West DEN project manager, said: ?It?s very exciting that we?ve got the money to fund this type of project.
?We will be appointing people who are already active in their own community and perhaps have some ideas for how to improve quality of life.?
Communities in Action will place a special emphasis on addressing problems of rural and social isolation.
?These might be issues like transport difficulties, where people can?t get to facilities they need,? said Kate.
?The solution might be to provide transport or arrange for a mobile unit to come out to an area. Ideas to help social isolation can be things like lunch clubs.
The new project follows WestDEN?s innovative Sustainable Communities Project which used techniques developed in India where ?Animateurs? help rural communities identify and tackle issues affecting quality of life.
Between 1998 and 2001, Sustainable Communities helped groups develop many different projects ranging from play parks, village hall improvements and community arts projects.
Recruitment of project staff and ?Animateurs? for Communities in Action will begin in January.