Cheltenham race equity charity granted lottery funding

Lives of Colour will be able to employ staff, thanks to the grant, whereas previously the charity was volunteer-led

A charity in Gloucestershire has been chosen to receive a lottery grant to further its work promoting race equity.

Lives of Colour has been granted £150,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Charity CEO Florence Nyasamo-Thomas says she wants Gloucestershire to be somewhere "young people can thrive".

The grant will be used to expand afterschool clubs and Saturday schools to support children facing barriers in education, among other things.

The charity works to elevate the voices of ethnically and culturally diverse communities through education, events and training.

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Ms Nyasamo-Thomas said Lives of Colour was "really looking forward to supporting young people" in their education.

"This grant will enable us to further our mission of creating a more inclusive society where everyone feels valued and represented," she said.

"We have kids that face school exclusion, and we have kids who are a little bit behind.

"We did a pilot of our summer school in July 2022 and advertised it in Cheltenham, but had children coming from Newent, Stroud and Gloucester."

Aside from assisting children to thrive at school, Lives of Colour works with businesses to provide mentorship and work experience opportunities for young people.

Florence Nyasamo-Thomas works with businesses to help them adhere to equality laws

In 2023 it set up Swimmers of Colour in Cheltenham that attracted so much interest a Gloucester programme was launched in March.

Lives of Colour also runs women's textile group Fabrics of Colour and the Young, Leading and Black mentorship programme.

"The aspect of representation always affects young people," Ms Nyasamo-Thomas said.

"We have great opportunities in the county, and we hope to build confidence within our young people so they can stay and look at Gloucester as a place they can thrive in."

Some of the black community in Gloucestershire felt there were barriers in swimming, Swimmers of Colour told the BBC in 2023

One big change is the charity will now be able to employ paid staff, whereas previously it was volunteer-led.

The £154,021 grant will be allocated to three key areas of work within Lives of Colour: out of school education support, the coordination of Cheltenham Alliance for Race Equity - of which Lives of Colour is a leader - and organisational core development.

"When I came to live in Gloucestershire 21 years ago, there was nothing," Ms Nyasamo-Thomas said.

"We have to make Gloucestershire a space where, if you're coming to live here, there's an organisation for you so you have somebody to go to."