WIREDGOV

A new £3.8 million grant programme for communities across England to celebrate what makes their local place great in Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday year opens today.

The Big Lottery Fund is calling on local groups and organisations of all shapes and sizes to apply for funding, between £300 and £10,000, to hold events or activities that will bring people together and celebrate what makes their local community special.

This opportunity comes as a survey* by the Big Lottery Fund found that given the chance, more than 40 per cent would like to celebrate their local history, and more than two fifths (43 per cent) of those aged 16 to 24 would celebrate their local culture, art or music. The research also revealed that more than half (63 per cent) of people asked reported that they have never or cannot remember ever coming together to celebrate with their local neighbourhood.

In response to these findings the Big Lottery Fund is putting people in the lead to come up with their own ideas on what they would like to celebrate, and what kinds of events they could host to bring all corners of their community together.

The Celebrate programme is the perfect opportunity for people to showcase and enjoy something important to their community, be it an iconic building, a precious landscape, a unique service or a community hero. There will be £5 million available in total across the UK.

Peter Ainsworth, UK Chair of the Big Lottery Fund said: “Celebrate gives people the chance to come together, whether that’s to mark something important to their community like The Queen’s 90th birthday, commemorate a historic local event, or simply get to know your neighbours better. We want to celebrate what makes your local community great, so I’d encourage groups of all sizes to get in touch with us with their ideas.”

To be eligible, applicants must be part of a constituted group which has its own bank account. The Big Lottery Fund welcomes applications from voluntary or community organisations, schools and statutory bodies, particularly those who have never considered the Big Lottery Fund as a potential source of funding. Organisations are encouraged to submit their applications early to avoid disappointment as once funds have been allocated,Celebrate will close to new applications.

For more information or to apply for a Celebrate grant please visit: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/celebrateengland.

Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Twitter: @biglotteryfund #BigLottery

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund

For funding and general enquiries call:

BIG Advice Line: 0345 4 10 20 30

For press enquiries call:

Press Office: 020 7211 1888

Out of hours media contact: 07867 500572

NOTE TO EDITORS:

• The total amount available for the Celebrate programme in England is £3.875 million.
• The total amount available across the UK for the Celebrate programme is £5 million. To find out more about the scheme in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland please visit: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/celebrate
• The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. It puts people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.
• It is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Every year it invests over £650 million and awards around 12,000 grants across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 it has awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.
• *YouGov poll on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund with 2109 respondents, June 2016.