|PIC1|A Christian project within the Church of England Diocese of Sheffield was recently awarded nearly £300,000 in funding from the National Lottery to support its work regenerating deprived local areas.

The Together for Regeneration (TfR) project has been running since 1999 and brings together various Christian communities operating through the Church of England Diocese of Sheffield.

The Big Lottery Fund BASIS programme has awarded the project £299,967 to enable it to continue its work of harnessing the talents and buildings of local church groups to run hope-inspiring projects in some of the most disadvantaged communities within the Diocese of Sheffield.

The TfR has proved immensely successful in attracting funding across South Yorkshire, bringing in around £13 million to the region since its inception.

The project has also proven successful in reinvigorating deprived communities. Since 1999 TfR has supported 274 churches and over 100 voluntary and community sector groups.

The award from the Big Lottery Fund will finance the employment of two development workers in Barnsley and Doncaster, who will be responsible for developing voluntary, community and faith sector groups and helping them become self-sustaining through a new partnership venture with South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau.

TfR Manager, Joanne Archer, said: "Our work has always been about faith in action. Now this award allows us to broaden our work to people of all faiths and none. Many projects have told us that without our patient, on-going support and our knowledge of how to make things work, they would have buckled under the pressure."

Ms Archer said TfR would work closely with South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau "to offer a seamless development and funding service".

She added, "The Big Lottery Fund have now shown faith in us and I look forward to our new work."

TfR Chair and Archdeacon of Doncaster, Bob Fitzharris, added: "This grant will go a long way to ensure that this vital work continues. I am very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for their support.

He went on to say, "Funding is still required to deliver support to voluntary, community and faith sector groups in Rotherham and Sheffield beyond March 2008 and no one in the project will rest until its services are available to all groups who want to participate in regeneration in the places they live."