Strict embargo: 09.00 hrs Thursday 16March

(PROJECT NAME)WANTSYOUR VOTE TO WIN (INSERT £)OF NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING IN THE PEOPLE’S PROJECTS

A local community group in (LOCATION) is calling for your vote torun a project (PROJECT AIM).

The project is one of five groups competingin (ITV REGION) for (XXX) of National Lottery funding in the People’s Projects competition. Voting opens at 9am on Monday 20 March at

The Big Lottery Fund, ITV and The National Lottery have teamed up to give the UK public the chance to decide how £3 million of National Lottery funding will make a difference in their local area.The three projects with the most public votes will receive grants of up to £50,000 to help them develop their work even further to improve the lives of people in their communities.

(ORGANISATION NAME)is calling on the viewers’ support, with the public voting online to decide who wins the prize. On (DATE THAT PROJECT BROADCASTS ON ITV)(ORGANISATION NAME) will showcase their project, (PROJECT NAME)on (ITV REGIONAL NEWS) at 6pm. They hope to use the funds to (PROJECT AIM DESCRIPTION).

(NAME, TITLE, AT ORGANISATION NAME) said: “(QUOTE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND HOW THE MONEY WILL HELP)

Dawn Austwick, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said: “We are proud to support 12,000 projects every year that use the knowledge and ideas of local people to strengthen communities. The People’s Projects is a chance for you to decide how National Lottery funding can benefit your local community, so make sure you have your say on who you think should win!”

The People’s Projects is an opportunity to celebrate some of the incredible projects the Big Lottery Fund has supported over the past year. With 95 shortlisted across the UK, the public can now decidewhich groups should win up to £50,000 develop their project further.

Voting closes at noon on Monday 3 April 2017. People can vote once per region and will need an email address to vote*. To support the (PROJECT NAME) please visit

Since 2005, around £36 million has been awarded through the Big Lottery Fund, National Lottery and ITV/STV partnership to 770Good Causes across the UK.

For enquiries, please contact

(CONTACT DETAILS)

Notes to Editors:

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

About the Big Lottery Fund and The People’s Projects

*People without email addresses can vote by post by sending a postcard to ‘Freepost THE PEOPLE’S PROJECTS’. To be counted, the following details must be written on the postcard: name, address, telephone number and the name of the project voted for. Please send your postal vote by last post Wednesday 29 March 2017. Postal votes must be received by noon on Monday 3rd April 2017.

  • The National Lottery was created in 1994 with the ambition of changing lives across the nation. To date, over 4,400 new millionaires have been created and over £36 billion has been raised for Good Cause projects.
  • Every time you play The National Lottery, you are making a difference, by contributing towards the staggering £30 million raised every week, for good causes. Every part of the UK is reached, over 500,000 projects have been funded, averaging 160 projects per postcode. These projects help to build local communities, power sports teams, save the environment, unleash creative talent, empower the elderly, unlock young potential and help change our nation for the better.
  • The People’s Projects is a partnership between Big Lottery Fund, ITV and the National Lottery which gives the public the chance to have a say in how National Lottery funding is spent in their community.
  • The competition funds projects that improve the lives of people and communities across the UK.
  • This year 57 awards of up to £50,000 are up for grabs across the UK – three awards in each ITV region.
  • For more information on shortlisted groups and voting visit
  • The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. We put people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.
  • We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Every year we invest over £650 million and award around 12,000 grants across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
  • Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people.

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