A UK online centre in Liverpool has been saved from closure, and has been able to continue the important work it does for its community, thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
Kensington Community Learning Centre in Liverpool, a UK online centre since 2003, was in real danger of closure following the end of the New Deal for Communities project that had provided its core funding since 2000, until the opportunity arose to apply for Big Lottery Funding.
Following a successful bid for a Big Lottery ‘Reaching Communities’ grant of just under £500,000, the centre’s work was secured for a further three years. Now, due to the success of the project they have been offered the opportunity to apply for a further year’s funding.
Alan Tapp, Centre Manager for Kensington Community Learning Centre, doesn’t believe the centre would have survived without the grant. He says, “The money from the Big Lottery Fund has been absolutely invaluable to us. We received the grant just as our previous funding ran out, and the funding is now paying for three full-time and two part-time staff, several visiting tutors, as well as all our operational costs.”
Alan has a few top tips for people applying for similar funding opportunities. He says “We applied for less than the entire budget of the project, knowing it would reflect well if we showed we could generate further income ourselves. We’ve now done this and we’ve been able to prove we can successfully manage the project and the substantial budgets involved. I hope this will lead to us securing further funding for the project.”
“The support and access to funding advice from the UK online centres team has also proved indispensible, and being a part of the UK online centres network is so important to us. We’re so pleased that this funding has meant we can continue delivering the services that our community really needs.”
