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UK National Lottery Donates Over £1 Billion to Pandemic Support Initiatives
By Jeff Osienya Mar 09, 2021 IndustryOver the last 12 months of the pandemic crisis, the National Lottery of the United Kingdom has disbursed more than £1 billion to fund local projects and less fortunate individuals who were negatively impacted by the Coronavirus.It is almost one full year since the sweeping lockdown was imposed across the UK in a bid to reduce the infection rate of the raging coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the COVID-19 period, the UK National Lottery has been providing funding across sectors such as charity organizations, arts, heritage, and sports to assist the governments of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with handling the crushing effects of the pandemic.
According to a recently published report, the funding package from the National Lottery for the last 12 months has crossed the £1 billion mark thanks to the money that lottery players have been spending on the daily and weekly draws.
Oliver Dowden, UK’s Culture Secretary expressed his gratitude for the support that the National Lottery has provided in the following statement;
Quote"The National Lottery has contributed enormously to the whole country building back better from the pandemic. This massive £1 billion contribution has made a significant difference to the lives of so many by providing critical financial support for our communities in need."
Ros Kerslake, the Chair of the National Lottery Forum and CEO of the Heritage Lottery Fund also chimed in to voice her appreciation of the National Lottery’s efforts as follows;
Quote“Thanks to The National Lottery’s players, we have been able to offer comprehensive packages of support to thousands of projects throughout the UK over the last year. This funding has helped alleviate some of the significant and unprecedented challenges faced by the community, arts, heritage and sports sectors as a result of the pandemic. None of this would have been possible without the important work of amazing and dedicated people throughout the UK who keep these projects going.”
Fighting Coronavirus Deficits One Step at a Time
A total of £1.2 billion in funding from the UK National Lottery has so far been forked out to boost thousands of initiatives and programs that are aimed at tackling the loneliness and isolation that came as a consequence of the novel virus. The funding has also been used to support the elderly and vulnerable youngsters alike and to promote physical and mental wellbeing in local communities.
The Really Amazing Charity (TRAC2) based in Torfaen for instance has received a total of £30 million from the National Lottery over the past year. This charity organization delivers starter packs of recyclable furniture and other home electronics for needy families and adults in the Welsh county region.
Some of the money that was disbursed to TRAC2 includes a £490K+ grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. The money was used to expand the charity’s outreach program to the homeless and young caregivers and offer provisions to the said demographic.
The Taking Flight Theatre in Cardiff is also another organization that benefited from player expenditure on the National Lottery games. This foundation is an initiative that was launched to make theatre more accessible to individuals from different backgrounds. Taking Flight Theatre received a total of more than £146K in grant money from the Arts Council of Wale to contribute to the foundation’s recent fund-raising drive focused on encouraging new ideas even in the course of the pandemic. On top of that, the charitable society also opened a creative avenue for the disabled during the lengthy lockdown period.
North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby League & Disability Sports Club is another local organization that benefited from the support of the National Lottery after its revenue streams went dry due to the pandemic. Funding was channeled to the club via a Sports Wales grant and the money came in handy as it helped the club purchase new PPE and pay for a new wheelchair storage space after their former Deeside space was converted into a hospital.
The past year has indeed been a tough one, but thanks to funding from different charity organizations, local communities can stay alive and kicking despite the impact of the pandemic. Last week, Flutter Entertainment, one of the largest gaming companies in the UK disclosed that it had paid out over £4 million in donations to grassroots clubs in the country via its Cash4Clubs foundation.
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