City man’s grand gesture to help tackle loneliness in community

A BIRMINGHAM man has received a National Lottery grant for his idea to tackle loneliness.

#CelebrateNationalLottery25 is offering grants of up to £1,000 for community projects and they are appealing for ideas from the public.

Pete Horton, 70, applied for funding from the National Lottery to host a community BBQ to tackle loneliness.

“Loneliness can affect people of all ages. It doesn’t care how old you are, what your job is or where you’re from,” Mr Horton said.

“I’ve lived in the Erdington area of Birmingham for more than 25 years, and for the past four I’ve been involved with St Martin’s Social Care Project, where we’re working hard to try to bring people together and build friendships across the community.

“When I joined we were running workshops and events aimed at men aged 50 plus struggling to cope with social isolation and the mental health conditions and anxiety it may lead to.

“In May 2018, the charity applied for funding from the National Lottery

to hold a community BBQ.

“We invited around 80 people from the local community. People of all ages – some are on their own, others have families, all have known loneliness.

“We wanted to break down barriers, get people chatting with others they’d never met and to share good food.

“It’s so rewarding seeing people enjoy the garden and building friendships.”

You can apply for a grant at CelebrateNationalLottery25.comup until 2pm tomorrow, Friday.