THANK YOU TO THE NATIONAL LOTTERY COMMUNITY FUND
Supporting Rootino to create opportunities in our community
Rootino CIC is incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for supporting our work and helping us develop opportunities for local people.
Their funding is helping us grow our community programme and, importantly, create meaningful supported work experience opportunities for young people and adults who may face barriers to traditional employment.
For Rootino, this funding is about much more than delivering a project. It is about giving people the chance to build confidence, learn practical workplace skills, gain real work experience, develop independence, meet new people, become more involved in their community and discover what they are capable of.
Creating Real-Life Work Experience
Our programme is designed to provide practical, supportive experiences in genuine community environments.
- Hospitality and customer service
- Community events and activities
- Gardening and growing
- Preparing and maintaining community spaces
- Working alongside volunteers
- Developing communication and teamwork skills
- Learning about responsibility and the workplace
We particularly want to create opportunities for SEND students and others who may benefit from a more supportive or flexible approach to work experience. Our aim is to help people build skills at their own pace while feeling that the work they are doing has a genuine purpose.
Growing Confidence as Well as Skills
Not everybody is ready to step straight into a traditional workplace. For some people, the biggest achievement might initially be arriving independently, speaking to a customer, completing a task, working alongside somebody new or simply feeling comfortable in a workplace environment. Those achievements matter.
By creating welcoming and supportive placements, we hope to give people the confidence to take their next step - whether that is further work experience, volunteering, training or employment.
Rooted in the Community
The National Lottery funding is also helping us connect our work experience programme with the wider Rootino community programme. This means participants are not separated away from everyday community life. They can work alongside volunteers, local residents, community groups and organisations while developing practical skills and forming new connections.
Our programme will include opportunities based around Eastbrookend Country Park, community hospitality activities and local growing and allotment projects. We want learning to be practical, meaningful and connected to the real world.
Thank You to National Lottery Players
Funding from The National Lottery Community Fund is made possible by people who play The National Lottery. We would like to say a huge thank you to National Lottery players for making this support possible. Your contribution helps organisations like Rootino create opportunities that can make a real difference within local communities.
Building Something That Lasts
Our ambition is for this funding to help us establish a programme that can continue growing long into the future. We want to build strong partnerships with schools, colleges, local authorities, employers, charities and community organisations so that more people can access meaningful work experience and community opportunities.
Thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players for believing in our community and helping Rootino create opportunities for people to connect, learn and grow.
