A BLACKBURN with Darwen-based charity will help 360 borough residents with severe disadvantages thank to a £300,000 lottery win.

Community CVS will support the clients to fulfil their potential through helping others.

The grant of £313,595 from the Reaching Communities Big Lottery Fund will enable the charity to deliver its “Ways to Well Being Project” over three years across the borough.

It follows a successful six-month pilot in 2016/2017 targetting people facing severe and multiple disadvantages ranging from mental and physical health difficulties to housing and addiction problems,

Using specially-tailored support, training and individual peer mentors, the new project will allow the 360 residents improve their well-being and resilience.

They can then release their potential as community volunteers in host of roles including working with other disadvantaged people, on allotments, with the elderly and in community centres.

The project is based on the ‘Five Ways To Well-Being’: connecting with other people, staying active, taking notice of what is going on around them, keeping learning, and giving back to others.

Kate Lee, volunteer manager for Community CVS based in Blackburn’s The Boulevard, said: “Our project,will enable borough residents to create long term changes in their own well-being.

“Through peer support networks, community activities and volunteering opportunities, we will help create more resilient communities by helping project beneficiaries become more resilient themselves.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council leisure and youth boss Cllr Damian Talbot said: “This is great news in difficult times for gaining finance.

“The project will help the volunteers and those they help.”