NATIONAL LOTTERY BRINGS GOOD NEWS TO SCOTTISH CHARITIES

NATIONAL LOTTERY BRINGS GOOD NEWS TO SCOTTISH CHARITIES

The magical moment four Scottish charities were told they have received life-changing National Lottery funding has been captured and animated for the very first time.

To mark the 21^st anniversary of the first National Lottery draw, the joyous reactions of Bridge of Allan Community Council; National Autistic Society (NAS) Scotland Dundee & Angus Branch; Harris-based Rionnagan Og; and Tenterhooks of Inellan, near Dunoon, to their good news have been released online.

There had not been Christmas lights in Bridge of Allan for many years and the town’s Community Council received £7,804 to purchase festive lighting and support the big switch-on community event which took place on Saturday November 21^st. Children from three local primary schools were asked to take part in the competition to design new lights and three lucky winners, one from each school, saw their lights come to life.

The NAS Dundee & Angus branch was awarded £4,810 to support children and adults with autism and their siblings to play football together at Dundee West Football Club. Rionnagan Og in Tarbert is a mother and toddler group which was granted £10,000 to build the blocks to a healthier, more active future with a new soft play facility. Tenterhooks was allocated £9,975 for its performance, ‘The Egg Adventure’, which is immersive theatre for the whole family to learn to play together outside.

Jackie O’Sullivan, from The National Lottery, said: “It’s great to mark the 21^st anniversary of the National Lottery by sharing these calls with our online community and beyond. National Lottery players can be proud to support these organisations and the valuable work they carry out on behalf of their local communities.”

Ailsa McLeod, Secretary of Bridge of Allan Community Council, said: “This is wonderful news. National Lottery funding has helped us turn our dreams into a reality allowing us to connect and give back to the community in a new way. I would like to thank the National Lottery and those who play because without your support we wouldn’t have been able to get this project up and running so quickly this year.”

Vickie Sutherland, Chair of NAS Dundee & Angus Branch, said: “This National Lottery funding will really mean so much to the players and their families. It’s just not about the football but being with other people in an environment they like. Following a pilot project we’ve already had one mum who was in tears because her son had come home to say he’d been chosen to play in a football game at school. Now we will be able to confirm to parents that the project is continuing and more importantly buy new strips”.

Chirsty Macleod, Chair of Rionnagan Og, said: “This is amazing news and means so much to me and my group. National Lottery funding allows the project to go ahead because now we will be able to purchase the equipment. This funding is going to do so much for the community.”

Krista MacDonald, Chair, of Tenterhooks, said: “We all have such a belief in the performance and to have it validated by the National Lottery is just as valuable as the money. We will now be able to develop the performance further by working with a script writer and creating a pop-up book. This funding is going to make all the difference in the world.”

Rionnagan Og has ordered their new equipment and it is scheduled to be installed this month. Tenterhooks hope to roll out their new performance throughout Argyll and Bute and Inverclyde in spring 2016 and NAS Dundee & Angus branch’s weekly football session at Dundee West Football Club should be up and running by spring 2016.

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