People’s Millions contest returns with Lottery cash for Scotland

Area:

Scotland

Programme:

The Peoples Millions

Release date:

18 3 2009

The People’s Millions TV contest launches nationwide today giving communities across Scotland a fresh chance to win up to £50,000 in Lottery good cause cash to improve their locality.

Local groups are being invited to join the contest which opens for entries from today. The People’s Millions partnership between the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and ITV gives the voting public the opportunity to decide which local projects will receive lottery good cause funding. The popular contest is now entering its fifth successful year.

This year a total of 14 awards of up to £700,000 are ready to be won by community projects in Scotland, which will enhance local facilities or help people to enjoy their local area.  This will be broken down into five awards in stv Central, five awards in stv North and four awards in ITV Border.

The People’s Millions contest is particularly looking for projects that enable local people to get more involved in their community and that are original and imaginative. Previous projects that have been funded include the illumination of a Victorian Railway viaduct in Airdrie using slides created by local schoolchildren, the transformation of run down wasteland into an athletics track for young people in Dumbarton and the creation of the first all weather outdoor pitch for children on Islay.

Friends of Centenery and West End Parks was the winner of a £58,750 award in last year’s People’s Millions contest. Sam Bell, Chair of the group, said: “We came up with an innovative idea to illuminate the local railway viaduct and to get local school children involved in the design. Taking part in the People’s Millions was a fantastic experience. The Big Lottery Fund was very supportive in helping us to apply and generate community support for our project. Appearing on the television was also a fabulous way to raise our profile. If any group is considering applying this year I’d say go for it!”

Later in the year short-listed contestants in each region will be showcased on stv Central, stv North and ITV Border local news where they will have to convince the public why they deserve the cash. It will then be up to the public to use their vote to decide which groups win the funding.

The People’s Millions is part of BIG’s commitment to involving the public in its deciding how Lottery money is spent. In the last five years, the competition has made 50 awards in Scotland totalling just over £3 million – part of an overall £18 million that has gone to community projects across the UK through the contest.

Dharmendra Kanani, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Director, said:  “ Now in its fifth year, the People's Millions contest is back with a bang with the decision making still firmly in the hands of Scotland's viewing public. Last year, of the Scottish projects that received the viewers’ support, we were able to transform school grounds into multi-use games areas, local halls into hubs of community activity and local eye sores into beautiful nature reserves. This year we want groups to be even more imaginative.

“So if you are a group that has an original idea for breathing life into your local environment then we want to hear from you. People's Millions is all about viewers helping to put the spirit back into communities and we want as many Scottish groups as possible to be part of that.”

Gordon Macmillan, Head of News at stv, said: "The People’s Millions is a great opportunity for stv viewers to influence where lottery funding should be spent. I'm thrilled about stv's continued involvement and it's great that we can help some of the many fantastic community groups across Scotland."

Graeme Thompson, Regional Director ITV Tyne Tees and Border, said: “I am delighted that viewers in Tyne Tees and Border are once again able to take part in the Peoples Millions. The return of this partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV is set to have a transformational effect on community projects in our region.”

Entry packs for The People’s Millions are available from today by calling the hotline: 08450 10 11 12* or by visiting www.peoplesmillions.org.uk. The deadline for applications is 15 May 2009.

Further Information

For more information contact Lorna McNiven at the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Press Office on:
0141 242 1451 or 07880 737 157
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• 69 awards are up for grabs including one bonus award in each of the ITV regions. Number of awards per region are listed below.

Key People’s Millions dates for forward planning diaries:

15 May 2009: Closing date for applications
28 October 2009: Final project shortlist announced to the media
23-26 November 2009: People's Millions competition televised on ITV

• Since the launch of People’s Millions in 2005, the aim of the contest has been to fund projects that improve the quality of life of local communities through transforming the local environment.
• Telephone voting numbers – As with previous years, ITV and the Big Lottery Fund will use a low cost telephone number. ITV and Big do not make a profit from the voting telephone numbers.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

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