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British National Lottery: Youth Roots Heritage Fund

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:20:21 +0000

One of the British National Lottery‘s key supporters of local projects is the Heritage Lottery Fund. Every year they set aside a fund to support schemes that encourage young people to leaner more about the heritage they inherit.

The funding for this Young Roots project is allocated every April, so it is now that the budget for the next twelve months is set. This year the money from the UK lottery draw that has been donated to the fund has increased by £1 million to £4 million.

The Young Roots project has been in existence for 10 years now and grants money of up to £50,000 to projects that help 11 to 25 year olds explore areas as diverse as archeology, social history, historic buildings, natural history and the story of sport, culture and fashion.

The Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dame Jenny Abramsky, says, “As the future custodians of our heritage, it’s vital that we inspire and equip young people with the resources they need to get involved with heritage in the future.”

One project supported by the Young Roots scheme (and so the British National Lottery) was Festival City, a Norwich-based idea designed to give young people the chance to learn and use skills in digital media to create an exhibition charting the history of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. The festival has run from 1772 to the present day and the young participants in the project created an impressive display illustrating the historic churches and venues used in the events. During this project, the youngsters learned new skills from historians, sound designers, journalists and professional photographers to produce an exhibition of photographs and historic documents as well as a podcast, which was shown in the Forum Norwich during July last year.

Clearly the funds from the UK lottery draw and the European lottery is being put to great use in helping protect our heritage for the future.

If you would like to learn more about the Heritage Lottery Fund, please go to their website.

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UK Lottery Draw: Rumoured Changes To The Lotto

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:17:42 +0000

It has been reported recently that the administrators of the British National Lottery, Camelot, are considering some exciting changes to the Lotto draw.

Last year the European lottery brought in the Millionaire Raffle. This gives each United Kingdom player of the lottery a unique number and each number is entered into a raffle entirely separate from the lottery itself. Twice a week, alongside the lottery drawing, one number is selected to win £1 million.

The Lotto draw in the British National Lottery is now looking into the idea of a similar scheme. It seems likely there will be a raffle much like the successful Euromillions version but with 20 prizes of £100,000 awarded with each draw.

In addition to this, it is rumoured the Lotto jackpots might increase by £1 million and other prizes may be available or increased. At the same time, the chances of winning a prize in the Lotto can only increase.

On the downside, the price of each ticket may increase to as much as £2 – in line with the Euromillions lottery.

It has to be stressed that these ideas may well change before they are implemented as they seem only to be proposals at the moment but nonetheless it can only increase the excitement generated by the British National Lottery.

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UK Lottery Draw: Champion Athlete Josie Pearson

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:45:17 +0000

As I write, the London 2012 Olympic Games will open in 197 days time. The preparations for this huge event are well on schedule and the UK lottery draw has provided £1.5 billion of it’s promised £1.835 billion funding.

All the sport venues for the event have been officially handed over to the event’s organisers and athletes all over the world are in preparation for what, for many, will be the biggest event in their sporting lives.

Many British athletes are also funded by the UK lottery draw.

Josie Pearson from Wales has always been sporty as she was passionate about horse riding. In 2003 however she broke her neck in a car accident that also killed her boyfriend but was determined to continue in sport. Just after her accident Josie watched the Athens Olympics on television and decided to be a competitor. It was not long before Josie became a wheelchair athlete, competing in the 100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre sprint events.

This week, she will be going to New Zealand to compete in the World Athletics Championships expecting to win medals. But this is simply preparation for the Olympics in July when it is expected she will represent her country with even greater success.

This determined athlete, who has just turned 26 years old, is grateful for the support given to her by the UK lottery draw. “The contribution of the National Lottery’s players is paramount to the existence of our sport but it goes well beyond just funding in that it creates a legacy of opportunity for young athletes to pursue their aspirations and dreams. The funding is the foundation of the future,” Josie says.

When you buy your tickets for the British National Lottery, you may pause to think how you are helping athletes like Josie Pearson.

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UK Lottery Draw: Lottery Funding Helps The Olympic Environment

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:34:25 +0000

The British National Lottery has been helping the preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games through extensive funding initiatives. This has not been restricted to the sports and sports facilities we can all see but also includes responsibilities to other areas that are not so obvious.

Projects supported by the British National Lottery funding include ‘In The Parks,’ an initiative in the London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Hackney most at the centre of preparation for the Games. The programme is intended to encourage sport among residents of the boroughs through a series of annual Sports festivals.

The first of these events was held in September 2010 in Newnham, timed to coincide with the Tour of Britain cycle race. Appropriately the emphasis was on cycling but other sports, such as table tennis, taekwondo and basketball were also trialed. Olympic athletes were there to encourage the participants.

Three further events took place in the boroughs during 2011.

There are also two other projects, ‘Represent London,’ which involves local people in voluntary roles to help the Games run smoothly, and ‘Transformers,’ a programme encouraging local communities to come up with innovative ways to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

All three of these local projects are collectively known as the East London Business Alliance and are financed to the tune of £2.85 million by the UK lottery draw.

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British National Lottery: Free Salsa Lessons

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:41:39 +0000

The British National Lottery provides finances for a wide variety of good causes the length and breadth of the United Kingdom and one of the smallest and yet valuable projects has been awarded money from the lottery in Powys, Wales.

A few years ago the residents from Ystradgynlais in the county were awarded £610 from the British National Lottery funds to provide free salsa classes to all the residents.

The classes are held in the Octopus Project, a centre in the community dedicated to promoting healthy living to all residents. It was recognised that there was a general lack of exercise among the residents and it was decided to find something that would inject a sense of fun into healthy exercise. There was a widespread interest in the idea of salsa classes.

In addition to the need for exercise, there was also a need for childcare to allow mums to join in. It was for this the British National Lottery money was most used.

Following the award, 15-20 local people regularly turned up for their dance sessions, which they were able to enjoy for free.

Project leader Elaine James said, “I tried it myself and it was really good fun, but there was only one man there so he had the pick of the ladies!”

The healthy living centre has received a total of £500,000 from the British National Lottery since it opened in 1999, in the centre of the deprived Penrhos estate in Ystradgynlais. It provides art classes, a children’s centre and Woman’s Aid.

The name Octopus indicates the aims of the project: Opportunities Created To Overcome Poverty, Unemployment and Sickness.

Playing lotteries online really can help communities.

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UK Lottery Draw: Hanger Farm Arts Centre

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:55:55 +0000

The UK lottery draw is well known for coming to the aid of large projects such as the 2012 Olympic Games and restoring large buildings but the impact the UK lottery draw has on local communities is less obvious.

Hanger Farm near Totton, Southampton was first recorded in Saxon times although it seems likely the site may have been in use for a long time before that. The farm was in continuous existence from that time right up until around 60 years ago. In the 1950s the 18th century buildings fell into disuse and it was feared the site would be absorbed into the housing estates expanding to the south of the site.

Many interested parties examined the farm for potential uses and in 2003 the visionary members of the Totton and Eling Town Council first started to discuss the possibility of an arts centre at Hanger Farm. Totton College joined the project and agreed to jointly run the site. Gradually contributions for the £757,000 needed came in from the local New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council. The fund was still £230,000 short however.

An application was made to the UK lottery draw for finances from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the required money was granted.

What resulted was a sympathetic restoration of the farm buildings with the barn becoming a vibrant theatre with room for 140 – 200 seats as well as a gallery capable of staging small art exhibitions and a rehearsal room.

The restoration following the UK lottery draw grant revealed the fine timbers of the building in all their glory and these offer a glorious backdrop to the activities taking places. The arts centre hosts a combination of professional and amateur community events with the building made available to the College during the day for lessons, exams and showcases. Since a government minister opened the centre in July 2006, it has seen a wide variety of art exhibitions, plays, musicians, comedians, dancers and pantomimes.

Further expansion of the site has seen Hanger Farm also embrace a tennis centre, cafe, children’s playground and large paddling pool. The main farmhouse was also preserved and has become a beautiful family home.

The UK lottery draw continues to benefit communities all around the country.

To find out more about the Hanger Farm Arts Centre, please visit the Totton College website.

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British National Lottery: The Glamorous Lottery Winner

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:45:59 +0000

We often report on new winners of the UK lottery draw and other global lotteries on this site but rarely do we pick up the story of a winner a few years later. Let’s change that.

Sarah Cockings is an attractive, bubbly blond girl from Tyne and Wear who was at university in 2005, aged 21, when she won her prize. Sarah only played occasionally but played one Saturday draw with her own numbers.

She went home that evening and checked her numbers on the Internet. At first she was pleased she had won £10 but then saw all her other numbers matching too. Eventually it dawned on her that she had won £3,045,705 on the British National Lottery.

What has she done with the money since?

Sarah, like so many winners, understood where her priorities lay and she knew her family was important. Her parents were very supportive and refused to treat her differently: nonetheless Sarah bought them a new house. Another early purchase was breast implants for both her sisters.

She has treated herself to a house and a good wardrobe. Not having a car, Sarah bought herself a top-of-the-range Mini and eventually graduated on to the black Range Rover Sport she now owns. She is happy to be pampered every now and again and visits the local beauty salon. One of her favourite changes however was the arrival of two little dogs as her companions.

As for the future? Sarah is thinking about returning to University but rather than the social degree she was originally following, she would like to get the qualifications to enable her to get into midwifery.

Winning the UK lottery draw can be a positive experience if you are as sensible as Sarah.

Watch a video on Sarah and her win.

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UK Lottery Draw: Helping Disadvantaged In Dennistoun

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:33:24 +0000

The residents of Dennistoun in the east of Glasgow have extra reason to celebrate the existence of the British National Lottery.

The Explorers Group based in the suburb works to improve the lives of disadvantaged young adults and were holding their normal fortnightly Saturday meeting last month, accompanied by BBC cameras the group thought were filming for a forthcoming documentary. Imagine their surprise therefore when television dancing star Brendan Cole appeared with a cheque of £9980 – a grant from the British National Lottery.

Paul McIlvenny, one of the groups Youth Development Workers, explained how the grant would be used: “This money will allow us to expand the work we do and will allow us to set up a Junior Explorers Group working with young people between 12 and 18 years old. We will also be able to offer a much wider range of activities and buy more equipment to run them. For instance we plan to run a series of ‘How to Cook’ lessons so the young people can learn skills when they begin to think about living more independently.”

Every week more and more good causes are being helped from funds raised by sales of tickets for the UK lottery draw.

Watch a video of the presentation on the National Lottery website.

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UK Lottery Draw: The Lottery And Olympic Athletes

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:26:12 +0000

Many British Olympic athletes are grateful for the support of the UK lottery draw in their preparations for the 2012 Games.

“The support of the National Lottery and its players has been very important and allowed me to compete and win against the best in the world.”

So said Rebecca Adlington, winner of two swimming gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and who looks forward to doing the same or better in London next year. Her preparations are going well as she became world champion for the 800m Freestyle event in July this year. This adds to her European and Commonwealth titles as well as the Olympic title already won.

But Rebecca is far from the only athlete to be grateful for the support given to sport in the country by the UK lottery draw. Sir Chris Hoy won three gold medals for cycling in Beijing to become the most successful Olympic cyclist ever. He has been supported by the UK lottery draw for eleven years. “If I could give a message to those who play the lottery it would be thank you. It has had such a massive impact for British Cycling and for me.”

If you want to find out more about these two great athletes, why not follow them at www.ChrisHoy.com and www.RebeccaAdlington.co.uk?

In the meantime, support all the athletes by buying your UK lottery draw tickets!

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UK Lottery Draw: Supporting The Restoration Of An Important Organ

admin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:14:38 +0000

Nearly every church in Britain has an organ and the sound produced by each one is very much part of the church atmosphere. Now the British National Lottery has stepped in to help an organ that is part of the country’s heritage.

The organ in Holy Trinity church, Gosport, Hampshire was originally built in 1720 for the Duke of Chandos in his house called ‘Cannons’ in Little Stanmore, Middlesex. The house was remarkable as it was built between 1713 and 1724 at great expense, only to be demolished by the second Duke of Chandos in 1747. In the meantime it became a centre for the arts. The composer in residence during 1717 and 1718 was one George Frederic Handel who would have played the organ installed in the house.

The first Duke died in 1744, leaving his son with debts largely as a result of the building of Cannons and investments in the notorious South Sea Bubble collapse. To cover the debts, the second duke sold the house piecemeal and its contents too.

The famous organ somehow made its way from the house to Gosport, where it resides today, and it still contains some of the original instrument played by Handel.

The UK lottery draw stepped in when it was realized that extensive renovation was required. £42 000 has been raised locally but much more was needed and the British National Lottery‘s Heritage Lottery Fund was able to award £167 000 to ensure the work goes ahead.

BBC television presenter Pam Rhodes, who comes from Gosport, is delighted the restoration can take place saying, “How wonderful that beautiful Holy Trinity Church might once again be filled with its magnificent sound, brining atmosphere to worship and pleasure to all music lovers.”

The UK lottery draw has an impact on many projects, large and small.

Watch a video here about the organ in Gosport to be saved with British National Lottery money.

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