About Gloucestershire Lifestyles: Funding

A Brief History of Lifestyles

Lifestyles began in Herefordshire in 1984, providing a lifestyle package to members with mainly physical disabilities. The first Lifestyles project in Gloucestershire began in Stroud and Dursley in 1992 using money from Social Services.

Unfortunately, the project was disbanded in 1996 when the co-ordinator left for university. Luckily, Stroud Action for the Disabled took the scheme on board and appointed our current co-ordinator, Sue McClung.

The charity was supported by SCOPE and was given one year’s funding, mainly from the Community Fund, to resurrect the project and expand it across the county.

A Lifestyles group in Cirencester also ran independently, supported by the SCOPE group, until the two schemes were amalgamated in April 1999 to become Gloucestershire Lifestyles.

The charity now operates all across the county from the North Cotswolds to the Forest of Dean and runs several different, successful projects.

Funding

Currently, Gloucestershire County Council provides funding for the Gloucestershire Advocacy Support Service and our Buddying Scheme. The Access project has received a grant from the Barnwood House Trust and the Community Fund continues to support the One2One scheme. The new Warehouse Project has received finance from the Henry Smith Foundation and Lincoln Finance.

We are eternally grateful to all our financiers for their support but still require further funding to continue and expand our valuable work within the county.

If you or your company could help us make a difference to the lives of disabled people by providing funding for our projects, please call Sue McClung on 01452 419300 or e-mail sue@gloslifestyles.co.uk.