National Lottery Grants Celebrates its 25th Birthday

National Lottery Grants Celebrates its 25th Birthday

National Lottery Grants Celebrates its 25th Birthday

It was back in 1994 that National Lottery grants started being distributed to local groups around the UK. Millions of pounds have been given in funding so there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

Regeneration Nation

It seems everywhere you look, there are some projects that have been helped by National Lottery grants. For example, groups in Solihull in the West Midlands in England, have received more than £63m in the past quarter of a century.More than 1,100 grants have been awarded in the area. The funding has been used for many projects including the regeneration of Meriden Park. £10,000 was given to Shard Fest that helped them run a community festival.Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, said: “Since its launch 25 years ago, The National Lottery has changed lives the length and breadth of the UK.” He added that the funding had helped people in many ways including those with mental health issues.Halifax in the North of England has received more than £57m of National Lottery funds. Over 800 grants have been awarded since 1994 including £2.4m that helped build the Eureka children’s museum.

Larger Festival This Year

Community organisations on the Isle of Wight have also received a great deal of help. This year has already seen over £30,000 received from the National Lottery Community Fund. The One Life Music Festival is celebrating their £10,000 grant.[caption id="attachment_12180" align=aligncenter width=300]national lottery grants festival Attendees at the One Life Festival in 2018[/caption]The event provides a safe and fun family festival for people with learning and physical disabilities. The funding means that this year they will be able to hold a two-day event including a family fun day.Over £107m of National Lottery funding has been given to Derry in Northern Ireland. The largest being £7.5m given towards building the Millennium Forum in the late 1990s.Incredible ThingsMr Tuchner spoke of the importance of the grants that are given. He praised the local people who “choose to do incredible things with National Lottery funding, changing their communities for the better, step by step.” He looks forward to seeing “what we can achieve together over the next 25 years.”

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