Celebrating 30 years: Art installation honouring seven Community Game Changers unveiled in London

Portraits of the seven appeared on the water at London’s iconic St. James’s Park, managed by The Royal Parks charity, in recognition of their game-changing impact on their respective communities with the help of National Lottery players who raise £30 million every week for good causes.

Created by renowned grandmaster graffiti artist Luis Gomez De Teran, the images on Perspex screens appear to float on the water at the Royal Park and are unveiled by broadcaster, Adele Roberts.

The seven ‘Game Changers’ featured in the artwork are:

● Ed Parker, founder of Walking with the Wounded. After his nephew lost both legs in Afghanistan, ex-veteran Ed Parker founded military charity Walking with the Wounded, to help tens of thousands of ex-service personnel and their families find their place in society again.

● Trevor Lyttleton MBE, founder of Re-engage (formerly Contact the Elderly). For over 50 years, Trevor’s charity has held tea parties to tackle the national shame of loneliness in the elderly, with a belief that “all you need is a warm heart, a warm welcome, a downstairs toilet, and a large teapot.”

● Dame Laura Lee, CEO of Maggie's cancer care charity for 28 years. Maggie’s was the vision of Maggie Keswick Jencks, who had an idea for a different type of cancer care as she lived with advanced cancer for two years. She died in 1995, but Laura, Maggie’s nurse and friend, worked with Maggie’s family to ensure her vision became a reality.

● Sandra Igwe, founder of The Motherhood Group. Born from her personal experiences of racism in healthcare, postnatal depression and anxiety, Sandra Igwe is a formidable advocate for black maternal health and the visionary founder of The Motherhood Group, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting black mothers through culturally competent care and community-based initiatives.

● Marcus Fair, founder of Eternal Media. Marcus survived a 25-year heroin and crack cocaine addiction, vast swathes of homelessness and multiple prison sentences before going on to found Wrexham charity Eternal Media. Supporting more than 700 offenders and ex-offenders to give them opportunities in filmmaking and showing them a new way to live.

● Javeno McLean, personal trainer, community champion and owner of the award-winning J7 Health Centre in North Manchester. Celebrated for his life-changing work with disabled people, the elderly and those suffering from Long Covid, whose inspirational social media videos have garnered millions of followers worldwide.

● Conor Largey, Belfast Youth Worker. Transforming his path from skipping school and getting in trouble, to a life dedicated to helping young people achieve their goals and potential, Conor has earned recognition for the positive development of Belfast's youth sector.

Adele Roberts, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2021, has been a supporter of Maggie’s for several years, and recently met Dame Laura Lee, to discuss the importance of Maggie’s centres across the UK, which have received over £3 million in National Lottery funding.

Adele Roberts, TV personality, said: "As someone who has personally experienced the challenges of cancer and witnessed the incredible work of charities like Maggie’s, I am deeply honoured to support The National Lottery’s celebration of these extraordinary Community Game Changers. It has been moving to spend time with Laura Lee and to witness the care and dedication that goes into her work. Laura and the other Game Changers are truly inspiring, and it’s a privilege to be part of an initiative that shines a light on the positive change they bring to so many lives. The National Lottery has played a vital role in making these stories possible, and I’m proud to help celebrate their 30th birthday in such a meaningful way."

David Knott, chief executive officer at The National Lottery Community Fund, added: "Celebrating The National Lottery’s 30th birthday is a momentous occasion, and there's no better way to mark it than by honouring extraordinary people who have changed the game for their communities across the UK, thanks to three decades of support from National Lottery players.

“At The National Lottery Community Fund, we believe everything starts with community. Every three minutes a community shares its dream with us, and every eight minutes, we award a grant to help make those dreams a reality. So, we are thrilled to showcase these powerful stories and hope this incredible installation will inspire even more people to see the difference National Lottery funding could make in their own communities."

To mark the 30th anniversary of the first draw in 1994, The National Lottery is celebrating 30 inspirational people - Game Changers - who have achieved amazing things across the UK in the last 30 years, with the help of National Lottery funding.

28 Game Changers will be revealed in September and October at four installations which will focus on an area of National Lottery funding including, the arts & film, heritage, sport and community.

The final two Game Changers will be announced on The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash scheduled for broadcast on ITV on 31 December.

The National Lottery has been changing lives every day for the past 30 years, funding thousands of projects which help build resilient, inclusive and environmentally sustainable communities and create healthier and happier lives within a flourishing society.

This includes more than £391 million in support for small and medium-sized charities, £119 million for children’s and youth organisations and £94.7 million for projects working with people with disabilities each year from The National Lottery Community Fund.