Advocacy Focus awarded National Lottery funding to support Community Focus Hub in Burnley

Advocacy Focus has been awarded funding from the National Lottery to support the operation of our Community Focus Hub in Burnley for the next three years.

This incredible support will enable us to continue serving the local community with advocacy support on the ground.

The Community Focus project, which launched in February 2024, has supported over 276 people in East Lancashire.

Helping them with everything from health and social care to housing, benefits, employment, education, and training.

Our Community Team is focused on making a real difference to people’s lives, whilst giving them the skills to advocate for themselves in the future.

We were so committed to the project and the importance of preventing people from needing crisis advocacy, that we funded its launch through our charity’s reserves.

The money we have been awarded will keep the doors of our Burnley Hub open and well-staffed.

It will allow us to continue to offer a friendly and welcoming space for anyone who needs a little extra help.

Whatever situation a person is facing, around health, housing, or benefits, or if they are looking for support with employment or training, our community team will be there to help. The hub opens on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm for drop-in support.

As our hub is also an official ‘Warm Space,’ thanks to a small funding pot from Lancashire County Council, anyone can drop by for a hot brew and a chat with the team – another way we are doing our little bit to reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation during the long winter months.

If anyone would like to be more involved in our hub, either by volunteering or helping us to raise much needed funds, please get in touch. We are always grateful for any support and help our communities can offer us.

Advocacy Focus is a leading charity dedicated to providing advocacy services for people making potentially life changing health and social care decisions. Our mission is to equip people with the skills and tools they need to speak up and be heard when it comes to decisions about their lives, and care and support needs.

With a decade-long commitment to workplace wellbeing, and three times winner of Top Employer in Mind’s Workplace Wellbeing Index, we prioritise the mental health of our team to deliver exceptional advocacy services. We help people live the lives they want to live.