Possability People Celebrate Successful National Lottery Bid

The successful bid will see the charity receive almost £400,000 for a four-year programme to support disabled people into work, volunteering or training in Brighton, Hove and across East Sussex.

This National Lottery Community Fund award will allow the charity’s specialist employment service to provide support to empower and enable people to identify and overcome the barriers they might face to getting a job.  This will include developing coping strategies and techniques to manage the impact of their condition in and out of work, so people can see past ‘I can’t’. It will also improve people’s skills, such as digital, and building confidence in talking to employers about health conditions or impairments.

Geraldine Des Moulins, Chief Executive of Possability People, says:

“This is tremendously good news for Brighton, Hove and East Sussex. It’s particularly good for disenfranchised disabled people unable to see how valuable they are to society and don’t value their place in the world, especially the world of work. It’s also good news for employers who might not realise the benefits disabled people can bring as employees.

“Our Community Employment Team all have experience of managing a range of health conditions and impairments at work. They understand how frightening and overwhelming taking the first steps towards work can be, but this programme is designed to fit flexibly around each participant’s needs. We know what works for one person won’t work for the next. And we also know that people move at different paces, and need to be motivated to stick at it in different ways. We are delighted that hundreds more disabled people in the area will have the opportunity to get the support they want so they can enjoy the rewards that learning, volunteering or work can bring”.

As well as its Community Employment Service, Possability People supports disabled people to live independently in a range of other ways. This includes: disability advice; help managing aches and pain; help for vulnerable older patients leaving hospital; a specialist home care service; and Shopmobility. It offers a supported bank account and payroll service; Disability Confident training, and access to a fully accessible venue in central Brighton.

Geraldine continued:

“Charities like Possability People are experiencing challenging times with reductions in statutory funding.  We have experienced cuts in a range of areas over the past year, but the investment from funders such as the Lottery help us ensure the valuable work we do every day across our organisation helps disabled people to live independently”.

Sacha Rose-Smith, Head of Funding at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:

“We are delighted to support the fantastic work of Possability People with this grant. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, people with disabilities will learn skills and build the confidence needed to apply for jobs and excel in fulfilling roles, helping their local communities to thrive.”

For more information about how it can help, telephone 01273 894040, email hello@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Notes to editors

• Possability People’s Community Employment Service have been awarded £372,670 by to The National Lottery Community Fund.
• Geraldine Des Moulins and Mandy Crandale are available for interview. Please phone or email Katy McGrory if you would like to interview them.
• In March, the charity’s £29,000 grant from the local NHS was axed, meaning its specialist Advice Centre in Brighton faced an uncertain future. Last year it helped over 4000 disabled people with problems from benefits and allowances to health and wellbeing, education and training. A concerted fundraising effort raised enough to keep its doors open and offer a range of support.

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.