The National Lottery timeline

The very first ever grant paid out to a good cause in the UK is recorded as Kingussie School, in the Cairngorms, who bought stage lighting and sound system, benefitting thousands of pupils and guests to the present (the child leaping went on to a career in the West End.)

The largest one-off grant (£600 million) built 'the Millennium Dome' (now O2 Arena) in London. Nearly 2,500 'millennium projects' shared almost £2.2 billion.

The Millennium Stadium, the biggest stadium in Wales, opens thanks to £46.3 million of National Lottery funding. It’s now known as the Principality Stadium. More than £2.5 billion has built national sports stadiums and venues across the UK, made sports facilties accessible, and backed thousands of clubs, players, and staff.

The National Lottery funded Eden Project opens to the public! Thanks to National Lottery players, the biomes received more than £56 million to become a new landmark for the South West Today it's said to employ 350 people, plus 150 volunteers, serving more than 20 million visitors so far, and generating more than £2 billion for its regional economy.

Waltham Forest Cricket Academy receives £16 of National Lottery funding to buy children’s cricket equipment, it’s one of our smallest ever grants. Since 1994, more than 2,200 grants for amounts under £100 have been awarded. In 2003 Waltham Forest Cricket Academy got £16 to buy children’s cricket equipment. But there was nothing 'little' about the annual tally to good causes in 2003; more than 29,000 grants, totalling more than £1.7 billion.

The 200,000th National Lottery grant is awarded to the Cutty Sark Trust for the Cutty Sark Conservation project - more than £20 million to restore the famous clipper, now a popular feature of the London docklands. For the first time, more than 40,000 grants to good causes were paid out within a single year.

The National Lottery awards £25 million towards the ambitious Helix Project which is now home to the iconic Kelpies.

The home of the World War II code breakers Bletchley Park receives £5 million towards its restoration.

The Design Museum moved to 'Kensington's cultural quarter' next to The Natural History Museum, V&A, and Science Museum - all four funded by The National Lottery. Meanwhile, £13 million funded "Creu Hanes - Making History", the story of 200,000 years of human life in Wales, and upgraded the National Museum of Wales.

A total of £2.2 billion of National Lottery funding backed the sporting, and cultural, success of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games Since 1997, significant National Lottery funds have driven a 'world class performance programme' for athletes and coaches. Over £1 billion has helped elite athletes and para-athletes since 1997.

The public decides that The Derry Walls are Northern Ireland’s National Treasure. £446,000 of Lottery funding helped engage people with the heritage of the Walled City and ensuring the walls are valued, protected and cherished for years to come. Actor Jimmy Nesbitt popped over to celebrate at the famous landmark.

More than 1,000 Olympic medals have been won since major National Lottery funding of athletes and para-athletes started in 1997. The two teams won 93 Golds at the Rio Olympiad. Rio Olympics gold medalist, Sam Quek (pictured, centre) went on to host The National Lottery's podcast 'Amazing Starts Here'. Meanwhile 26,000 amazing projects, places and people got funding in 2016.

The National Lottery funded V&A Dundee opens. It’s Scotland’s first design museum.

As a global pandemic struck, organisations affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK were given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million from The National Lottery. As working from home became the new norm, more than £1 billon of funding was awarded in the form of more than 35,000 grants.

England’s women’s football team win the 2022 European Championships with a 2-1 win over Germany at Wembley Stadium. National Lottery funding to women footballers of all ages has totalled £50 million over the last 10 years. And Wembley was rebuilt with £120 million of National Lottery cash too!