ROMAN KEMP SURPRISES BIKE PROJECT WITH PODIUM FINISH IN MAJOR AWARDS

Radio DJ and TV personality, Roman Kemp, made a surprise visit to London’s Bike Project today to congratulate them on winning the title of Best Voluntary/Charity project in the 2018 National Lottery Awards.

The National Lottery Awards are the annual search for the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects and celebrate the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with National Lottery funding.

The Bike Project, which was set up thanks to £10,000 of National Lottery-funding, helps refugees who often face a stark choice between paying for food or public transport. Twenty seven thousand bikes are abandoned in London each year. The Bike Project recycles second hand bicycles and donates them to refugees and asylum seekers, giving them better access to food banks, legal advice, healthcare and job interviews.

Roman Kemp says:

“I am truly in awe of the wonderful work being done day in and day out by The National Lottery Awards Voluntary/Charity category winner, The Bike Project. Their on-going work is really impressive and inspiring. The community spirit involved, compassion and dedication deserves to be celebrated nationally. Well done to everyone involved!”

Bike Project Founder, Jem Stein, started the project after mentoring refugees at university and noticing that one of the biggest challenges they faced was the cost of travel.

Jem, who is delighted that his project has won a National Lottery Award, says:

“Winning Best Voluntary/Charity Project in the National Lottery Awards is such an honour, I hope it will create even more awareness and get every refugee in London on a bike!

“We are so grateful to National Lottery players for funding our pilot project and helping us get to where we are today. The Bike Project is a simple way to utilise an excess resource to help some of the UK’s most disadvantaged people, and we’re thrilled that our work has been recognised in this way.”

The Bike Project beat off competition from 700 entries to win £5,000 cash prize and an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and will have its work celebrated on a special BBC One programme to be broadcast on the 26 September.

National Lottery players raise £30 million a week for arts, sport, heritage and community good causes. For more information go to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk or follow the campaign on Twitter: hashtag #NLAwards.

For more information please visit lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards.

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For further information please contact The National Lottery Awards:

Jay Epega, Jay.Epega@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk / 020 7211 1931/07814 749 794

Elle Rigby, elle.rigby@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk 020 7211 3927/07920581267

Notes to Editors

The Bike Project received £10,000 of funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised each week for good causes in the UK

There are eight winning projects in eight categories, reflecting the main areas of National Lottery funding: arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sport and voluntary/charity.

All voting was independently adjudicated and verified by Electoral Reform Services