Local charity, developmentplus, is today celebrating after being awarded £689k in National Lottery funding to continue its work with people who have been in the criminal justice system. The charity, based in Lincoln, will use the funds to offer intensive 1-1 mentoring sessions and group work with a view of reducing prison stays. Recognition was also made by The National Lottery Community Fund of the core funding challenges charities are facing, with that, funding was also allocated to the charities core costs and the continuing development of its social enterprise “Lumina” an approach to help support the diversification of funds moving forward.
developmentplus has been running since 1997 and is staffed by a team of 16.
The charity provides a range of responsive services for the people of Lincolnshire that improves their wellbeing and mental health, promoting hope and sustainable personal progression. Its main purpose is to support people to thrive, and not just survive.
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest funder of community activity in the UK, will see Bridging the Gap double in size, increasing its current team of 2 to 4, and continue to broaden its reach outside of Lincoln supporting 200 people over 3 years.
At the same time, Bridging the Gap will be able to continue building positive partnerships with organisations across the County who support and benefit from the project as a referral pathway for their clients.
Lynsey Collinson, CEO of developmentplus, says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to press on with our plans to broaden the delivery of Bridging the Gap to local people who want to make positive changes in their lives. From a charity perspective, this funding provides us with some stability for the next 3 years whilst we explore what diversifying income looks like”.
