[cma-l] Press release - Lottery cash will ensure Preston FM has a rosy future

[CMA-L]

News Release – 11th Nov 2008

Lottery cash will ensure Preston FM has a rosy future

Preston is set to benefit from a major lottery windfall announced
today, thanks to funding granted to Preston FM – the city's community
radio station. The Big Lottery Fund has awarded £368,218 under its
Reaching Communities programme to Prescap – the community arts charity
behind the project.

The money will be used to extend the community radio project's work
over the next three years, providing radio-based learning and
volunteering opportunities for local people as well as supporting
local community and voluntary organisations to better promote their
work and services.

The Preston FM project has been running for nearly four years and has
so far involved over 500 local people in producing exciting local
radio programmes for the Preston community. The station, which can be
heard via www.preston.fm and on 103.2FM, launched full-time in October
following a licence award from Ofcom, the UK radio regulator.

Di Cuming, Prescap's Chief Executive, said:

"We're delighted to have received the Big Lottery Fund's support for
our community radio project. The grant will enable hundreds of people
from Preston of all ages and backgrounds to develop new skills, as
well as providing a creative platform for voluntary and community
organisations to better promote the work they do in the city."

Mike Gardner, Preston FM volunteer and chair of the project's steering
group, said:

"This is a fantastic result for the community radio project and for
Preston as a whole. It has taken a lot of people a lot of hard work to
get the project to this stage, and the support of the Big Lottery fund
will allow us to build on that success and to serve and involve the
community to a far greater extent than ever before."

The station is always on the look out for new volunteers to work
on-air and behind the scenes – full details of all the opportunities
available can be found on the project's website at
http://www.preston.fm or by calling 01772 880791.

Notes:

INTERVIEWS & PHOTOS

Photos of volunteers in action in the Preston FM studios are available
on request. Photographs and interviews with staff and volunteers can
also be arranged – contact Richard Lace, community radio project
manager, on 01772 880791

PRESCAP

Preston FM is run and managed by Preston Community Arts Project
(PRESCAP). Established in 1985, Preston based PRESCAP is a catalyst
for change: enabling people to explore, realise and value their full
potential through creativity. PRESCAP creates and delivers dynamic
arts projects with people, supporting urban regeneration and community
development. Other projects include delivery of Arts Council England's
Arts Awards in the North West and co-ordination of the North West
Consortium for Participatory Arts Learning.

BIG LOTTERY FUND

The Big Lottery Fund distributes half of all National Lottery good
cause funding across the UK. The Fund aims to enable others to make
real improvements to the lives of disadvantaged people and the
wellbeing of communities, through fair and open funding of people,
projects and programmes.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888

Press office out-of-hours mobile: 07867 500 572

Big advice line (public enquiries): 08454 10 20 30

Full details of Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are
available on the website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

All National Lottery Distribution is accessible through:
http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk