Lottery funding means more hard Graft

Newsdesk • Published 13 Aug 2009 11:00 0 Comments

OVER the course of a year The Chronicle reports the exploits of thousands of people; good, bad, very bad and some who are often indescribable.

Happily the good seem to outnumber the rest and it is mostly a pleasure to bring you their stories, albeit some have suffered painful experiences and heartbreak or found themselves on the wrong end of cruel injustice. In many cases their fate is undeserved.

To Premier League footballers, bonus-hungry bankers or home-flipping MPs, the sum of £276,591 is a mere trifle. But while some just get richer, life struggles on for Cinderella charities working away from the limelight and, for the trustees and staff of an organisation called Graft, that sum is literally the difference between the future and oblivion.

For five years, Graft has helped adults with a wide range of disabilities to find jobs and training to improve their skills and confidence. With just three staff and an average of 240 clients, Graft must be just about as cost-effective as any organisation anywhere.

But with its Reading Borough Council grant having dried up, its coffers empty and the staff already looking for new jobs, the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching Communities programme came up trumps.

Now, far from closing its doors, Graft can take on extra staff and, ironically, its new-found stability enhances its eligibility for other grants.

If there's any justice then Graft's fairy godmother will soon be joined by many of her sisters. We wish them all the best.

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