PLAYERS of the National Lottery have helped send more than £150,000 towards the borough.
The company said that last year, it awarded 10 grants to local groups, across a range of interests including arts, sports and heritage projects alongside community groups.
They included £9,995 to Deaf Positive Action to run a deaf employment advice service, £10,000 to Oakbank School to run diversity sessions to improve tolerance among pupils and £14,432 to Hit The Mark Theatre for their AnimAlphabet musical production.
And now, any organisation that has ever received National Lottery funding has the possibility of gaining nationwide acclaim by entering The National Lottery Awards 2018 – the annual search for the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.
Winners will receive a £5,000 cash prize and national recognition at a ceremony to be broadcast on BBC One.
Strictly Come Dancing winner and TV Presenter, Ore Oduba, hosted the National Lottery Awards 2017 BBC One show.
He said: “Every week National Lottery players raise £30 million for good causes and that funding is invested in life changing projects around the UK.
“There are thousands of ordinary people doing extraordinary things with National Lottery funding within communities across the country. The National Lottery Awards are a rare opportunity to put the spotlight on those who truly deserve it. So if you know a Lottery project that’s making a positive difference, now’s the time to nominate.”
Last year, UK-wide running network, parkrun, won Best Sport Project for its National Lottery funded programme supporting visually impaired runners.
Chris Jones from parkrun says it has had a really positive impact on the project: “Since winning, we’ve seen an increase in numbers of people living with sight loss participating at parkrun.
“Perhaps more importantly, we’ve seen a transformation in self-confidence for individuals who have found that they can achieve more than they ever thought possible.”
Projects can be nominated for a National Lottery Award in seven categories; Arts, Education, Environment, Health, Heritage, Sport and Voluntary/Charity to reflect the breadth of funding that the National Lottery invests in.
To enter a project, tweet @LottoGoodCauses with your suggestions or call 020 7293 3599. Entries must be received by midnight on Friday, April 6.
