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£1 million awarded to
community projects
POSTCODE Community Trust has awarded an
incredible £1 million to 116 community projects across Great Britain in its
1st funding round, thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery.
A local project in North West England set to receive funding from players of
People's Postcode Lottery, through the recently launched Postcode Community
Trust, is Opportunity Sports Foundation. The Foundation will receive £12,630
from players for its Girls Access Sport project.
Opportunity Sports Foundation targets those in extremely deprived areas in the
North West England, using sport as a vehicle to improve the lives of young
people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Girls Access Sport project offers a
targeted approach through participation in sports, enabling the Foundation to
put structure into chaotic lifestyles, whilst raising health awareness; offering
accredited learning; providing opportunities to become self-sufficient and
ultimately enabling disadvantaged young people to become economically active
within the community.
Andrew Bell, Director at Opportunity Sports Foundation, said:- "The Girls
Access Sport project particularly targets homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged
young girls to get involved in sport, with the most successful being street
dance, to allow them to reach their potential. Thank you to players of People's
Postcode Lottery for the funding which is helping us to make a difference to
young people's lives."
Clara Govier, Head of Charities at People's Postcode Lottery, said:-
"Players of People's Postcode Lottery have awarded over £1,000,000 to good
causes through Postcode Community Trust's very first funding round. This
tremendous amount of funding is benefitting projects all over Great Britain that
are working to support the local community. Projects funded through the
Community Grants programme really do have a huge impact on the local community
and make a massive difference to many people's lives."
Postcode Community Trust launched in January 2015 to provide financial support
to charities and community groups that support environmental protection,
community development, engagement in sport, advancement of health, promotion of
human rights and prevention of poverty.
To date, players of People's Postcode Lottery have awarded over £69.2 million to
charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally. For more
information, visit Postcode Community Trust's
website.
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Relate follows in celeb
footsteps with tips for bringing mindfulness to your relationship
MINDFULNESS is having a well deserved
moment in the media spotlight with celebrities such as Emma Watson, Goldie Hawn
and Gwyneth Paltrow swearing by it. The seemingly simple act of paying more
attention to the present moment has been shown to improve mental wellbeing and
is the theme of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week. But is it really that
easy?
Relate Cheshire & Merseyside believes many people could benefit from introducing
basic mindfulness exercises to their relationships and sex life, so has put
together some simple exercises to get started.
Relate counsellor Susie Woods explains what the fuss is all about:- "We
use mindfulness in sex therapy to help people experience more pleasure by being
able to relax and stay focused and present in the moment. Mindfulness can also
benefit our relationships as a whole by relieving stress, building intimacy and
enhancing inner peace. This in turn allows us to have more positive interactions
with our partners. The great thing about mindfulness is that there are plenty of
exercises you can practise at home, either on your own or with your partner. It
doesn't have to be a huge commitment; even starting with a few minutes each day
can help you to feel more connected. Don't worry if you feel self-conscious to
start with; it may take some time to get used to but you'll feel the benefits
once you get into it."
Susie Woods's 3 mindfulness exercises to enhance your relationship...
Focus on your breath
Set some time aside every day to focus on your breathing. It doesn't have to be
long to begin with; maybe start with just five minutes a day and work your way
up to 20.
A good way to start is on your own with no distractions. Close your eyes, relax
and start to become aware of how you're breathing. Breathe in slowly through
your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this and gradually become aware
of sensations in your body. Recognise and welcome them and then allow those
thoughts to drift away to be replaced with other feelings as they arise. Notice
what you're experiencing and feeling. The aim is to let go: rather than reject
intrusive thoughts, just let them drift away.
Practise with your partner
Once you've practised the breathing exercise a few times on your own, why not
try this simple exercise with your partner? Sit facing and look into each
other's eyes. Breathe slowly in through your nose and exhale through your mouth
as before but this time synchronise your breathing. Do this for several minutes; it may feel a little strange at
1st, but stick with it and it can have
powerful results, increasing feelings of relaxation and intimacy.
Counting exercise
Find a quiet place and close your eyes. Now, in your mind, slowly count to ten.
Focus on each number as you come to it. Visualise it, then let it go. You'll
probably find that the 1st few times your mind wanders; when it does, just go
back to number one and start again. Gradually you'll be able to build up to 10
without interruptions and feel you've created a calm space in your busy day.
Relate Cheshire and Merseyside offers information, advice and counselling for all
stages of your relationships, including counselling for couples and sex therapy.
Call us on:- 0300 330 5793 or visit:-
relatecm.org.uk for more information.
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