THE SEARCH IS OVER: THE NATIONAL LOTTERY HAS FOUND ‘THE NEXT STACEY DOOLEY’ TO STAR IN ITS NEW SUNDERLAND ONLINE MINI SERIES

THE National Lottery has today announced the winner of a talent search throughout the city of Sunderland, to find an ambitious young budding TV presenter to star in a brand-new online mini-series that will highlight the impact of National Lottery funding in the local area. Josh Wilkinson from Barnes, Sunderland, has been selected to co-host the online mini-series, which has already seen him hitting streets with a yet-to-be-announced local celebrity and camera crew, to meet the inspirational people in Sunderland, who do extraordinary things with the help of the National Lottery funding. Josh has got stuck in and hit the ground running. He has already co-presented several episodes of the yet-to-be-revealed online mini series, and took presenting like a duck to water.

In addition to being the face of the series, Josh has also been given an extra boost to his media career with a two-week paid internship at local radio station, Metro Radio. Josh will be mentored by one of the station’s presenters, gaining exclusive insight into its inner-workings, from assisting the production team to preparing scripts, researching stories and guests, and maybe even broadcasting live on air!

Jonathan Tuchner from The National Lottery said: “We’re delighted to have selected Josh Wilkinson to be the co-presenter of our online mini-series, that will shine a spotlight on where the National Lottery funding goes in Sunderland. From the many entrants who applied, Josh captivated us with his confidence and impressive storytelling. Josh also demonstrated her/his passion for Sunderland and showed a genuine interest in helping to celebrate and champion the people at the heart of National Lottery-funded local projects, which is hugely important to us.”

Josh Wilkinson, the co-presenter competition winner said: "I'm incredibly excited to be involved with the National Lottery on this project! I've learned so much about the great schemes that the National Lottery has helped fund in my local area of Sunderland. It's awesome to see it tackle some of the issues the region faces. Together, this mini-series and more awareness of the National Lottery’s work in Sunderland will really help the city thrive and become as good as it can be. Not only do I get the chance to co-present the mini-series, but the two-week placement at Metro Radio could really help me on the way to a broadcasting career.”

Last year, The National Lottery invested more than £15 million into local good causes1 in Sunderland alone, and since 1994 has funded more than 1,800 in the area, assisting with the enrichment of thousand of lives. Some of the local projects that have benefited from National Lottery funding include the Sunderland Winter Gardens which was rejuvenated with £3.8 million awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, creating a tropical paradise in the heart of the city for locals and visitors to explore and the National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland, which received an investment of £6.9 million from Arts Council England for its construction, firmly placing the city of the cultural map of England.