National Lottery Awards Finalists Revealed

The National Lottery Good Causes has today revealed the names of those projects that will battle it out in this year’s prestigious National Lottery Awards.

The National Lottery Awards reward and recognise the inspirational work of National Lottery funded projects across all sections of society. National Lottery players raise more than £35 million for good causes every week.

Over 900 good causes from across the UK entered this year’s Awards. A panel of judges had the unenviable task of whittling those down to a shortlist of seven in each of the seven categories reflecting the different areas of National Lottery funding: arts, sport, heritage, health, environment, education and voluntary/charity.

The 49 good causes are now competing for public votes. The seven winners will take their place at a glittering awards ceremony in September which will be broadcast on BBC One. Winners will not only pick up a coveted National Lottery Awards trophy but also a £2,000 cash prize to spend on their project.

TV star and actor John Barrowman, presenter of The National Lottery Awards, said: “National Lottery funding helps transform communities and changes lives for the better. National Lottery players should be proud that their contribution to good causes makes such a positive difference to arts, sport, heritage, community and voluntary groups across the UK.

“I would urge everyone now to get behind their favourite project and do their bit to ensure they get national recognition for their invaluable contribution to society.”

Jackie O’Sullivan of National Lottery Good Causes added: “We have been overwhelmed by the number and standard of entries for this year’s National Lottery Awards. Each week National Lottery players raise over £35 million for good causes. The impact of National Lottery funding at the heart of communities cannot be over-estimated.

“The 49 good causes competing for public votes are just a snapshot of the life-changing influence of National Lottery funding. Now for the hard part, every one of the nominees is a winner in their own right but it is up to you, the public, to get behind your favourite good cause and make sure it picks up one of the top prizes.”

The finalists are:

Best Arts Project

• Haul – Arts in Health is a voluntary arts group that creates artworks, performances and events to raise the spirits of patients, staff and visitors at healthcare settings in Ceredigion, west Wales.
• Blake’s Lambeth in London has seen local people bring to life the work of one of our most famous poets, William Blake, through a series of mosaics on the Southbank.
• The Misfits Theatre Company in Bristol, run by people with learning difficulties, puts on workshops, performances and arranges training on social inclusion and disability issues.
• Culture Warrington’s Pyramid is a leading cultural venue that has been the catalyst for the development of Warrington’s Cultural Quarter and the regeneration of the town centre.
• Red Rose Chain Community Theatre’s creative workshops, performances, volunteering and work placements provide an inspiration and a purpose in life for people giving up drugs in Suffolk.
• Young carers across west Scotland are getting the chance to master the art of storytelling and other creative art forms thanks to Creative Sparks at The Village Storytelling Centre.
• Spark Opera’s “Requiem for the Disappeared” involved students, high calibre artists and volunteers working together to produce an opera in memory of the people who disappeared in Northern Ireland’s troubles.

Best Education Project

• The Life in My Shoes campaign, run by young people living with HIV in the UK, challenges the stigma that still surrounds HIV and encourages empathy and understanding of what life is like with the condition.
• Playskill is a parent and child group for pre-school children with special physical needs in Watford.
• Using collections, resources and museum sites in Northern Ireland, the Live & Learn Project seeks to engage older people and increase their opportunities for learning and creativity.
• Volunteers, youth groups and school pupils come aboard the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s floating classroom, the Silurian, for expeditions to monitor and gain knowledge about the spectacular marine environment in the Hebrides.
• The Lylac Ridge Animal Learning Centre provides opportunities for children and young people across south Wales, particularly those who are disadvantaged, to grow emotionally and learn through interaction with one of the Centre’s 100 animals.
• Having made a big impact on poverty and educational failure, XLP’s XL-R8 Community Bus Project creates positive futures for young people living in London’s inner cities.
• The mission of Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, is to save, share and celebrate our rich heritage of children’s books to inspire a love of reading across generations.

Best Environment Project

• Sustrans’ Connect2 has brought the National Cycle Network deep into the heart of communities across the UK, enabling many more people to get about on foot and by bike.
• Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens is a unique community-led green space in Nottingham where local people grow and sell organic produce and world foods reflecting the diversity of the local community.
• The Woodland Communities Project encourages people in Warrington and Runcorn to take ownership and clean up their local woods, and use them as places to exercise, enjoy nature and relax with family and friends.
• Stepping Up is a recycling project in Mansfield which aims to improve the self-confidence and employability of people affected by long-term unemployment.
• Foyle Women’s Aid: The Secret Garden is a tranquil haven for mothers and children who are victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland.
• The rich natural and industrial heritage of Lightshaw Meadows in Wigan has been explored by hundreds of visitors, local people and school children.
• Once run-down, St James’ Park in Southampton has been transformed into a welcoming place for the whole community to enjoy.

Best Heritage Project

• The Aber Valley Centenary Project in Wales commemorates the men and boys who lost their lives in the biggest mining disaster in British history 100 years ago.
• The Cutty Sark Conservation Project saved a national icon following a devastating fire, preserving the tea clipper for future generations to enjoy and successfully transforming it into a 21st century visitor attraction.
• A beautiful but derelict former hospital chapel has been transformed into a flagship therapy centre, Gartnavel Chapel - Cancer Support Centre.
• The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is a world class visitor experience and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The Bristol Dinosaur Project helps people in the west country learn about their very own dinosaur that existed 210 million years ago.
• The Holocaust: Sustaining The Legacy scheme has trained volunteers in Yorkshire to become professional speakers to ensure their experiences of the holocaust are heard by future generations.
• Restoration work has saved the Grade II listed Porthmeor Studios and Cellars in St Ives which has been home to fishermen and artists for more than 130 years.

Best Sport Project

• Easterhouse Phoenix has transformed the lives of young gang members in a tough area of Glasgow through their interest in football.
• Devon Active Villages works with small communities across Devon to give people living in rural areas the chance to take part in sport where they live.
• Us Girls encourages increased participation in sport among young women in high deprivation areas across England by delivering female-only activity sessions.
• Ping! is an ambitious programme that combined arts, sport and imagination to bring table tennis to the fore in prominent public spots, from Heathrow Arrivals to Bristol Zoo, Sheffield Cathedral to The New Forest.
• A replacement ice rink and upgraded facilities has seen the Time Capsule Ice provide fun and fitness opportunities for people from all walks of life in Lanarkshire.
• Disability Sport Wales provides sporting opportunities for disabled children and adults in every area of Wales.
• Arthur’s Gym is an amateur boxing club based in Rhydyfelin, near Pontypridd in the south Wales valleys, inspiring disadvantaged and other people to make regular exercise part of their everyday lives.

Best Voluntary/Charity Project, in association with www.ivillage.co.uk

• New Heights Warren Farm Community Project is a community centre opened by residents in Kingstanding, Birmingham, where local people access counselling, youth services and training.
• Tenovus’ Sing With Us has uplifting and fun choirs across Wales for cancer patients, their families, carers and friends, to provide social support and improve their health and wellbeing.
• Age UK Bromley & Greenwich’s Men in Sheds project helps older men, some of whom may be socially isolated, participate in practical tasks and enjoy social contact in a fully equipped working shed.
• Brighton Housing Trust’s Accommodation for Work scheme offers a residential programme of support for homeless people who are working, volunteering or pursuing training/qualifications.
• My Sister’s Place is a domestic abuse charity in Middlesbrough providing support, advice and access to services to women affected by domestic abuse.
• Missing People’s Reaching Families scheme helps people deal with the unimaginably painful situation of having a loved one go missing, by providing practical and emotional support.
• Northern Ireland Hospice Carers’ Project provides support to people caring for a terminally ill relative.

Best Health Project, in association with Best magazine

• The Ichthyosis Support Group (ISG) supports people affected by Ichthyosis, a rare and potentially fatal skin condition.
• Over 385,000 older people have taken part in Age UK’s Fit as a Fiddle activities, from aqua aerobics to zumba, at community centres, residential homes and sports centres.
• Supporting Families with Children with Undiagnosed Genetic Conditions (known as SWAN UK) offers much needed support to families of children with undiagnosed genetic conditions.
• Calum’s Cabin on the Isle of Bute offers families of children with cancer the chance to have a holiday, make irreplaceable memories and enjoy precious time together.
• Silver Song Clubs provide singing programmes to improve the health and wellbeing of older people living with long-term health conditions.
• Brainy Dogs makes a big difference to the lives of people in the East of England with brain injuries by training dogs to be their companions – helping them feel loved.
• It Starts Here, run by the National Deaf Children's Society, is a programme of family-orientated classes and events in Wales bringing families of deaf children together and building support networks for them.