A DOMESTIC abuse support community group in South Lakeland wants your vote to win £50,000 of National Lottery funding as part of this year’s People’s Projects. 

Springfield Domestic Abuse Support offers refuge accommodation for women fleeing domestic abuse and a community support service for women and men affected by domestic abuse.

“This is an exciting opportunity to raise awareness and support for our work and, with your help, to secure further much-needed funding. We urge local people to get behind us," Angela Speak, Project Lead for the Community Support Service, said. "If successful, our project will make a real difference to our local community by allowing us to increase the capacity of our service to meet an ever increasing demand." 

Springfield Domestic Abuse Support is one of five groups in the ITV Border region in the running for a share of up to £150,000 of funding.

Now in its 13th year, the Big Lottery Fund, ITV/STV and The National Lottery are teaming up to give the public a chance to decide how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area.

Designed to celebrate some of the projects the Big Lottery Fund has supported over the past year, 95 community-based schemes are now shortlisted across the UK.

In each region, the three with the most public votes will receive grants of up to £50,000.

This will help them to continue their work to improve local people’s lives.

The entire amount up for grabs across the UK is £3 million. 

To be in with a chance of winning Springfield is calling on viewers to support its bid.

If successful, Springfield’s community support service will use the grant to employ two additional staff to cope with an increasing demand for their support, to fund more specialist counselling for clients and to help clients cover the cost of travel and childcare.

"Those who have experienced and lived with domestic abuse frequently tell us that the hardest part of recovery is dealing with the psychological distress caused by the abuse," Ms Speak said. 

"They have been isolated, are exhausted, humiliated, degraded, threatened and assaulted by someone who claims to love them. Our support service helps with recovery and moving forward to a life free from abuse.” 

Between April 16 and 20, Springfield will showcase its project ‘Recover, reclaim and rebuild’ on ITV Border news at 6pm.

Joe Ferns, UK Funding Director of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “As the largest funder of community activity in the UK, we are proud to support grassroots groups that are using the vision, determination and drive of local people to strengthen communities. The People’s Projects showcases the best of these and is a chance for you to have your say on how National Lottery funding can benefit your local community.”

Since 2005, around £39 million has been awarded through the Big Lottery Fund, National Lottery and ITV/STV partnership to 865 Good Causes across the UK.

Voting opens at 9am on Monday 16 April at www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk. The film can also be viewed on the website.

Voting closes at midday on Monday April 30.

People can vote once per region and will need an email address to vote.

Further details about Springfield can be found on www.springfieldsupport.org

They can be followed on Facebook, Springfield Domestic Abuse Support in South Lakeland or on twitter, @Springfield1915.

To support the ‘Recover, Reclaim and Rebuild’ project and for Ts & Cs,  visit www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk