Back in March 1999, we were awarded £176,000 by what was then the National Lottery Charities Board, now the Community Fund, over a three year period. The money was to be used to employ members of staff in order to develop the work that the Forum was able to do.

We applied for the funding under two criteria.

One: The project will raise the profile of the Forum within the local community and that of the area itself with the main 'decision makers' by giving the Forum the ability to gather information from a wide range of sources, which can then be used to influence decision makers at all levels, through networking, meetings, publicity in the media, together with our own newsletter and website. Information and the skills to use it are at the heart of the project, especially when linked to having the practical ability to suppport and deliver local services, such as out-of-school activities, work for the elderly and disadvantaged, together with helping local people to obtain work and training.

Two: Lottery funding will enable the Forum to have its own accommodation and to employ specialist workers for the first time. In addition, the Forum will be able to provide a range of new services to the local community. By having our own accommodation, Forum staff and volunteers will have a base and the local community will have a well located 'One Stop Shop' offering a range of services linked to employment, information and the local economy, as well as helping community based activities to grow and develop.

The Forum aimed to achieve the following over the life of the lottery grant:

To engage local people in the decision-making process through a structured Forum with working groups and community consultation/planning events. To act as a focus for regeneration acitivities within Dunkirk and Lenton.

• To co-ordinate and support the work of the Forum.
• To enable the Forum to take a strategic overview of local need and service provision.
• To increase the membership of the Forum, making it more representative.
• Mentoring volunteers to take on specific areas of work within the organisation.
• To develop a communications strategy, including the regular production of a community newsletter and maintenance of a website.
• To support the voluntary sector activities in the area.
• To identify and follow up opportunities for funding.
• To support economic development activities, including targetting local people for local jobs, promoting training opportunities, maintaining a business directory and supporting economic sustainability through such activities as the Community Shop, Credit Union, and a potential LETS scheme.
• To establish an office base for the Forum which will act as a 'one stop shop' facility for for job vacancies, training opportunities and a community facility.