Happy Birthday to the UK National Lottery

14 Aug 2014 02:59 PM

Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael celebrates 20 years of lottery wins for Scotland. 

People throughout Scotland have helped make the National Lottery what it is today, Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said as one of the UK’s most well-loved institutions celebrates its 20th year.

Established in 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £31 billion for good causes and supported over 400,000 projects throughout the UK. This includes over £2.5 billion of support for over 50,000 individual good causes in Scotland.

With around 70 per cent of the UK adult population playing, the UK National Lottery is able to offer big prizes and large amounts of funding for good causes. Among the beneficiaries have been:

• Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre which received £4,900,000 towards redevelopment costs

• £9.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the V&A in Dundee

• £2,373,773 to help develop a day hospice in Elgin

• £800,000 for the Aberdeen Curling Project

• £1,665,800 towards redeveloping Inverness city centre

Mr Carmichael said:

The National Lottery is made in UK, played in UK, loved by the UK. It has improved our arts, protected our heritage, regenerated our communities, supported some amazing charities provided better sporting facilities for everyone and helped finance some of our greatest sporting heroes.

People throughout Scotland have helped make the National Lottery what it is today. Together with communities all across the UK they have helped all sorts of good causes. It’s a brilliant example of what we can achieve together as part of the UK.