£1.1million grant to support our former mining communities

A new £1.1million grant has been made available to support former mining communities with high levels of unemployment and health deprivation.
Coun Maureen Cummings with the Local Action Group, who helped choose projects that would receive support.Coun Maureen Cummings with the Local Action Group, who helped choose projects that would receive support.
Coun Maureen Cummings with the Local Action Group, who helped choose projects that would receive support.

A new £1.1million grant has been made available to support former mining communities with high levels of unemployment and health deprivation.

The grant, from Wakefield Council and the EU, will be used to support six local projects which work to tackle barriers to work and improve the health and wellbeing of former mining communities.

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Councillor Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for economic growth and regeneration, said: “The projects that have been chosen will benefit people who face more challenges than most when it comes to finding employment and those whose needs are not being met by mainstream services.”

The selected projects provide support to those whose needs are not being met by mainstream provision, such as those with brain trauma.

It will be focused on areas including Airedale, Castleford and Ferrybride, South Elmsall, Havercroft and Ryhill, South Kirkby, Kinsley and Fitzwilliam and Hemsworth.

It is hoped that the new support will help to get more people into employment, self-employment, education and training or actively engaged in a job search.