A series of powerful and emotive films cover the difference National Lottery funding is making to grassroots projects supporting the arts, communities, heritage, film and sport
Claudia’s journey starts at Bloom, a community flower garden for women and non-binary people in Sheffield(Image: The National Lottery)
Claudia Winkleman has teamed up with The National Lottery to reveal the life-changing difference that buying a ticket can have on a local community as she travels the nation to witness first-hand the crucial impact players have on their local communities.
A series of powerful and emotive films cover the difference National Lottery funding is making to grassroots projects supporting the arts, communities, heritage, film and sport. TV presenter Winkleman, currently on screens hosting the Celebrity Traitors, will be accompanying a local National Lottery player to reveal the life-changing impact made possible every time they play, proving that the difference is made ‘Because of You’.
Winkleman’s journey starts at Bloom, a community flower garden for women and non-binary people in Sheffield. The project, which has received £269k in funding across the past four years, enables hundreds of individuals each week to escape the daily grind for some mental and physical wellbeing, alongside good company, at a special allotment. A new project on Winkleman’s tour will be revealed each month; from a wheelchair rugby club in Wales to a farm supporting disabled people in Northern Ireland.
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Winkleman, 53, said: “Everyone plays to be in with a chance of winning a life changing prize, but we are revealing the unwritten story of the difference National Lottery funding makes in every community in every corner of the country. Your play is literally making a difference to the lives of millions of people every single day, and I cannot put into words the gratitude and happiness I saw at every single project.
“I want to share with the nation a small insight into the difference you make each and every time you buy a ticket – this is all made possible because of you.”
Kendall Turner, one of the directors of Bloom, added: “I took over an allotment in the heart of Sheffield and organised a little community gardening session that three people turned up to. We just kept going and have developed enormously since then. National Lottery funding totally changed the game for us and we’re so incredibly grateful.”
Steve Parkinson, Marketing and Brand Director at Allwyn UK, operator of The National Lottery, said, “Claudia is the perfect voice to bring these heartwarming stories to the nation. It is essential that everyone who has ever bought a National Lottery ticket or Scratchcard understands the difference they make to their community. Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes throughout the UK. Because of you, brilliant projects, run by extraordinary people can continue to change lives everyday.”
In her role as Ambassador-in-Chief, Winkleman will continue to champion the inspiring stories and incredible people across the country whose lives have been transformed by National Lottery funding. Winkleman will be working with The National Lottery to tell these stories as part of a long-term partnership. Supporting her across this autumn will be a star-studded cast surprising projects with news that their applications for National Lottery funding have been successful, right in front of the communities they directly support.
Beverley Knight will be visiting a project close to her roots and heart, revealing they will receive over £240k to preserve the art and history of the Windrush generation. More projects are set to be surprised across the community, heritage, arts, film and sport sectors across the next month ahead of The National Lottery’s 31st Birthday in November.
Since National Lottery funding began in 1994 more than 650,000 projects have been funded with an astonishing over £50BN raised by players with a little pink ticket or Scratchcard. Every week, on average, National Lottery players raise more than £30M which fund projects across every postcode area in the UK.
