Myleene Klass gives us 400,000 reasons to celebrate Lotto Good Causes

Television star Myleene Klass yesterday awarded the milestone 400,000^th National Lottery grant to a charity in Wales.

The National Lottery Draw Show presenter surprised representatives of Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil with the 400,000^th ever grant. The charity has been awarded £980,037 so it can improve the lives of around 2,500 people over the next four years by developing their skills and confidence through a range of volunteering opportunities.

Myleene Klass said: “I’m delighted to present the 400,000th National Lottery grant to Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil to allow the organisation to continue its life-changing work. Since the National Lottery began 18 years ago, over £29 billion of Lottery funding has gone to sports, arts, heritage and community projects across the UK.”

The star also met other local Lottery-funded projects including the Dowlais Football Project, which encourages young people to participate in sport, and Head for Arts, which is producing a local community opera. Myleene was impressed by the venue, Canolfan Soar, which has been converted from a run-down chapel into a busy community centre. She also caught up with a group of mums from a local housing estate who’ve gone from setting up a disco for their kids to running an organisation with a £1 million turnover, the Gellideg Foundation.

Myleene added: “National Lottery players raise more than £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. It’s been fantastic to visit Merthyr Tydfil and meet people whose lives are being changed for the better thanks to Lottery investment in their community.”

The National Lottery is having a life changing impact across the UK with a diverse range of projects funded including education, health and environmental initiatives. For further information visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk