The National Lottery Community Fund has revealed that over £400 million was provided to communities in the UK during the country’s lockdown (March 24 – September 23), highlighting the impact the National lottery has had on helping local projects and good causes during the pandemic.
In total the non-departmental public body has distributed funding to more than 8,200 community groups to date, ranging in monetary values, in order to support the organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding has ranged from helping tackle local problems to ensuring that longstanding projects remain operational.
Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Community Fund, stated: “Thousands of inspiring groups and projects across the UK have been providing phenomenal support to their communities since the crisis hit and continue to do so, all thanks to National Lottery players.
“We’ve now distributed over £400 million since March when lockdown began – this life-changing money is making a real difference and has helped communities rally together through these exceptionally challenging times.”
The support provided by the largest funder of community activity in the country has ranged from grassroots groups to UK-wide charities, with the National Lottery Community Fund explaining that the funding has only been made viable due to the continued support given by players of The National Lottery which has enabled ‘many millions in much-needed funding to continue to flow to amazing local projects and good causes’.
One such organisation is Sólás in Northern Ireland, a charity which is currently helping high risk families who are struggling during COVID-19 by providing three hours respite for child disability care, with the firm receiving £95,000. Moreover, other organisations such as Disability Peterborough and Mind Your Head have also benefited from continued lottery funding during the global health pandemic with both firms being provided with £50,000 and £100,000 respectively.
Sandie Burns, CEO at Disability Peterborough, commented: “As soon as the crisis hit we knew that it would negatively impact people with disabilities, especially those who were shielding or told to self-isolate. Since setting up our new handy person scheme, we have been supporting the 100 most vulnerable disabled people across the city following a huge demand for the service.
“It has made such a difference to people’s lives – one lady was so grateful for our help that she burst into tears. Small acts of kindness mean so much and give people a sense of self-worth. We’ve become their extended family during these tough times. I am so thankful for all of our staff and volunteers, as well as National Lottery players for making this vital support possible.”
Since its inception in 1994, the National Lottery has distributed £41 billion across an estimated 565,000 causes in the UK.