RESIDENTS are being warned ‘this is your chance to get what you want’ as up to £2million of Lottery money goes up for grabs to try and improve a housing estate.

The Littlemoor area of Weymouth was chosen for the windfall last year and the Big Lottery Fund is preparing to release the first phase of cash to the area.

The task of deciding where the money goes falls to the estate’s residents but only a handful of people have come forward so far including members of the community centre who are calling for a new building to be built close to the St Francis of Assisi church.

The charity Dorset Community Action has been tasked with helping to generate public interest and representatives from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and Synergy Housing have been involved in meetings so far.

They are looking to attend public events and go out to meet residents to try and get them involved with a drop in session being held on Thursday at the library to get people to start offering ideas.

Gill Patterson, chairman of the Littlemoor Community Action Group, is anxious that residents will miss the chance to see Littlemoor changed in the way they would like.

She said; “This needs to be done by the community for the community and that’s the way it has to be if it is going to work properly.

“Sometimes the attitude is ‘we’ve been promised the money but won’t get it’.

“But I say ‘this is your chance to get what you want for Littlemoor by working together.” The project has been given the title Big 4 Littlemoor.

The Big Lottery Fund chose Littlemoor to receive the money after contacting local councils across the country looking for areas that could benefit most from investment.

The money will be provided to the community over the next ten years but no set limit per idea or per year has been decided.

Residents will be offered free tea and cake at Littlemoor Library on Thursday between 4pm and 7pm as they are asked for their ideas.

Rachelle Smith, from Dorset Community Action, said: “This is about getting the residents of Littlemoor involved so that whatever is decided people feel that it was a community decision.”

“We want a big group that represents as wide a cross section of the community as possible.”

To give your views visit the library on Thursday or attend a meeting at the community centre in Canberra Road on June 2 at 7.30pm.