UnLtd and Players of People’s Postcode Lottery Commit Further Funding and Support to Local Communities

UnLtd are furthering support for people committed to transforming the places they live in, supported by Postcode Innovation Trust.

This Resilient Communities programme will continue the joint support of Crumlin & the South Wales Valleys, Stoke-on-Trent, Dundee and Brighton, thanks to funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

This partnership has been supporting these four areas together since 2018, and this further funding will allow our work to deepen across the next year. The £249,897 in funding will be allocated to the four areas, distributed to the deeply committed social entrepreneurs creating lasting solutions to social problems facing their communities.

To further their impact, social leaders need access to resources, connections beyond their own networks and the trust and backing of local institutions. UnLtd provide this support, along with one to one coaching from specialist Support Managers. In addition to the awards, this funding will create opportunities for peer-learning from social entrepreneurs across the UK, and facilitation of local partnerships. This approach is crucial right now, working to create stronger and more resilient communities as the UK gets through Covid-19 and seeks to ‘Build Back Better’.

Local people are uniquely well-placed to create change in their area because they deeply understand and feel the problems facing their communities, and the necessary solutions too. Covid-19 has seen social entrepreneurs instantly stepping up to support their communities, whether that’s through food delivery, combatting isolation, offering digital fitness classes for the body and mind and more. These quick pivots and increased support highlight just how crucial social entrepreneurs are to social development, by working to uplift and support the most vulnerable in their times of need.    

So far, this programme has supported people like Gemma Hallett from the South Wales Valleys, who created app miFuture to support youth into employment and future career paths and tackle intergenerational poverty. Or there’s people like North Staffordshire’s Jake Cliffe of Human Nature Escapes and Brighton’s Keith Turner of Touchwise Massage who are both offering socially prescribed support for mental and physical wellbeing in deprived areas. These communities are home to many other impactful social entrepreneurs working to support mental health, employment, and physical health and wellbeing.

We recently released the ‘Changing Places’ documentary, showcasing the brilliance and innovation in these four areas  It tells the stories of eight social entrepreneurs, and why we’ve committed to building and deepening the work to strengthen these communities.

UnLtd Director of Social Entrepreneur Support, Denise Ramsay, says: “We have been inspired by the determination and dedication in each of these communities to create positive social change with local solutions for themselves and future generations. It is vital that we empower social entrepreneurs, especially during this challenging time when a global pandemic is devastating communities and livelihoods. We’re really pleased that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting us to foster and grow user-led initiatives with local communities”

UnLtd have previously worked in over 130 areas, supporting over 246 ‘place-based’ social entrepreneurs, creating local services, jobs, training, and volunteering opportunities to transform and uplift their communities.