It’s been a long time since the £1m Big Lottery award was announced. So, where is the money?

It’s currently held by a fund-holding charity but before it can be put to use the Lottery Fund want to see the plans the Big4 Littlemoor committee have come up with.

These plans are based on the results of several surveys taken to find out what Littlemoor residents want to see in the way of improvements for the whole area. From all these suggested improvements the committee then had to identify those which would be of major benefit to as many people in the community as possible.

The plans are almost complete but before they are submitted to the Lottery fund the residents of Littlemoor are invited to have a look at them, ask questions and make comments or further suggestions.

This consultation day will be held on Saturday 4th April at St Francis church between 10am and noon where members of the Big4Littlemoor committee will be on hand to have a chat.

The Church will also be holding an Easter Egg hunt and Messy Play to keep the children occupied and of course, coffee and cakes will be on sale too.

As part of the Big4 Littlelmoor proposed plans for improvements to health and well-being they have given a ‘taster grant’ to the Alzheimer’s Society so that a Memory Cafe and Melodies for the Mind can be set up.

The Memory Cafe opens on Friday 10th April at 10.30 at the library for people who are living with dementia and their carers. This is an informal and friendly session where you can exchange experiences and information with activities to stimulate the mind. The session is supervised by a fully trained facilitator.

Melodies for the Mind begins the following Friday. (17th) This is a musical session with songs which help people with dementia express positive feelings and emotions.

The sessions will alternate weekly between Memory Cafe and Melodies for the Mind for a total of ten weeks.

If these prove popular the Big 4 committee will seek further funding to ensure they are made permanent and that Littlemoor becomes a ‘dementia friendly society.’ The Big 4 committee have given four other grants to groups so they too may start up to see what response there is. These include a Kids Saturday Drop In, a gardener’s interest group, Moves fitness classes and evening Bingo sessions. Keep a look out for posters for further information.

The church cafe now has a soft play area for children from 0 to 4 years and is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 1pm and Fridays 9.30 to 11.15 and it’s free!

More information about the Big 4 Lottery Fund is available in the current newsletter which you can pick up from the shops, the library, Top Club or the church.