The National Lottery’s Local Community Fund Supports the Development of 10 More Community Maps across The South West
We are excited to announce that we are one of the successful recipients of a small grant from the National Lottery’s Local Community Fund in conjunction with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The grant will enable us to launch 10 more connected area-based community maps across the South West over the coming weeks and hold some online events to help local people, communities and charities to see how the maps can support them.
aDoddle.org is working to establish the UK’s first network of connected community maps. Building a national resource for use at a local level, that is for people and communities first. We strongly believe that there has never been a more crucial time for people and communities to be more connected. To be able to find the places where they can either access help, volunteer or connect with others. It’s not just for now during Covid-19, but for the future. It is about making it ‘aDoddle’ to access information and doing it in a way that people can have confidence that it is up-to-date and correct by using our unique ‘Traffic Light System’
Covid-19 is going to leave a ‘Long Shadow’ that will be felt by so many over the coming months and years. Add to that the increased impact of isolation and disconnection as it ripples out into lives in ways that we are not yet aware of.
As more local organisations add their free profile to the maps and awareness of them grows they will help people to:
- Find – help and support
- Connect – find places to connect with others‐reducing isolation
- Give – find volunteering opportunities
- Collaborate – encourage charities & community organisations to connect, share, collaborate
- Support – make it easy for businesses to find charities & local community organisations to support
Planned areas for maps are:
- Falmouth
- North Cornwall
- Plymouth
- South Hams
- Swindon
- Taunton
- Torbay
- Totnes
- Weston-Super-Mare
- Weymouth
- Yeovil
Our Next Steps:
Over the next few weeks we will be setting up and launching the maps for each of the areas above.
Then we will be setting up a series of online events to introduce the maps, show that they really are ‘aDoddle’ to use – both for people searching and for local organisations to create and add a free profile.
We will also be contacting local councils, MP’s, etc, in those areas to let them know about the maps. As well as sending press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, magazines …
The Maps are a 'Work in Progress'
It is really important that we manage your expectations. The maps are a work in progress and the more local organisations, groups and charities that add their profiles the more the maps will help people to either find help, where they can volunteer or connect with others.
The maps are about building a resource that is for people and communities first. For making it easy to access information and for those seeking that information to have confidence in the fact it is up-to-date and correct via our unique ‘Traffic Light System’.
Interested in Partnering with Us?
Are you part of an established community organisation, charity or group with good networks within your community? If so we would love to hear from you to explore opportunities to partner and collaborate for the benefit of the people and communities that we all serve and support and are a part of.
Local Business - Opportunity to Sponsor a Map
Are you a business, or community member who would like to sponsor one, or more, of these local community maps?
Sponsoring a community map is great opportunity to connect with your community, supporting both those that are seeking help, who want to help and the local organisations that provide help.
About The National Lottery Local Connections Fund:
The Local Connections Fund is a new £4 million fund to help charities and community groups working to reduce loneliness by building community connections across England.
Through this programme and previous partnerships, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and The National Lottery Community Fund are working together to help prevent loneliness, strengthen our communities and improve people’s lives.
