More good news from one of our MLS Advantage members
MEDIA RELEASE
WeMindTheGap, the Charity Borne out of Moneypenny, receives National Lottery Funding to Support Young Women
WeMindTheGap, the charity borne out of Moneypenny has announced that it has received £1.1 million of National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Community Fund (formerly Big Lottery), to increase opportunities for disadvantaged women.
The charity model is a six-month paid traineeship, followed by a further six months of support, as former trainees use their new skills to gain employment, education and a better life in general. The charity aims to help underprivileged young women transition from “prisoners of circumstance” to “pilots of their own lives”.
This grant means that the charity can now grow its core team to set up 16 traineeships in different cities across the country. By 2023, the charity will provide six months’ employment for 160 trainees in 16 different communities, sustain continued support for over 450 graduate trainees as they make their way in the world and work with over 140 local employers.
Co-founder of Moneypenny, Rachel Clacher, is WeMindTheGap’s Founder and Chair. “We saw a real need to address social mobility in our community, and we applied the same ethos that Moneypenny was founded on, to focus on helping young people in need,” said Rachel.
“We strongly believe in doing the right thing, treating people well and providing ongoing support. This is not about ticking boxes, it’s about business and communities. We have proven that public and private partnerships work, and more importantly that under-served young people can achieve real careers and real choices if they have access to the right opportunities. This grant allows us to have the resources to bring those opportunities to so many more young people, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve.”
Joe Ferns, UK Funding Director at the National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We’re proud that National Lottery funding is helping more young women thrive in their local communities by expanding this successful project. Through coaching and mentoring, WeMindTheGap empowers women to gain the skills they need to gain confidence and full time employment.”
WeMindTheGap was launched in 2014 by Rachel Clacher, high-profile businesswoman and co-founder of the outsourced communications company Moneypenny, as the company’s charitable arm. It was designed to tackle the issue of social mobility within the local community. WeMindTheGap offers unemployed young women new opportunities in life and work, through the provision of holistic, paid six-month traineeships. The charity aims to expand by offering these much-needed traineeships into new communities every year. To date, the charity’s traineeships have consistently resulted in employment or full-time education for 70% of participants. An independent performance evaluation report indicates the majority of graduates move into full-time work or education. The charity currently operates in Wrexham, Flintshire, Liverpool and Manchester with expansion into other regions planned over the coming year. A traineeship for young men is also under development and expected to pilot in late 2019. Sir John Timpson was recently announced as the charity’s first patron.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Diane Aplin
Director
WeMindTheGap [email protected]
0333 939 8818
07921 989210
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest community funder in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.
We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
In Wrexham and Flintshire alone, the National Lottery has awarded around £101m to over 4,600 good causes since it was launched 25 years ago. Charities, community groups, grassroots sports projects, arts organisations, athletes, film makers, and heritage sites have reaped rewards from the funding.
