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Millennium Now – legacy of landmark projects 10 years on

A new report assessing the impact Millennium projects, such as the Eden Project, Tate Modern and The Lowry, have had on the landscape and on people’s lives across the UK, is launched today (Monday 9 May) by the Big Lottery Fund.

Ten years on from the opening of the majority of the Millennium Commission initiatives, today’s Millennium Now report is examining a cross-section of the projects and the successes and challenges associated with awarding around £2.7 billion in Lottery millennium funding.

Hundreds of projects, from the world famous Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, to lesser known projects including Turning the Tide in Durham and the Scottish Seabird Centre received Lottery money from the Millennium Commission.  

The Big Lottery Fund, which took over the responsibilities of the Millennium Commission in 2006, commissioned the report to review the Millennium legacy and ask whether similar initiatives should be funded in the future.

Peter Wanless Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “It is clear that the Millennium Commission’s original investment has had an enormous impact on many communities throughout the UK, and has created a lasting legacy as a result.

“The Millennium projects created thousands of jobs, planted millions of trees, regenerated inner city areas and breathed new life into rural communities. They made art more inclusive and city architecture more adventurous, they took risks and in doing so dramatically influenced the cultural and social landscape of this country for the better. Some secured international recognition almost as soon as they opened – such as the Tate Modern, the Eden project and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.”

Peter Wanless continued: “The Commission had a specific aim – to fund projects to celebrate the end of the second millennium and welcome the start of the third. Now we want to explore how BIG can build on the Millennium Commission’s legacy. This is your chance to help shape the big debate.”

Mike O’Connor, former Chief Executive of the Millennium Commission, said: “Ten years on it is time to ask if we created white elephants or national treasures.

“I am grateful to the Millennium Now report for highlighting some of the Commission’s greatest achievements - even the hugely controversial Dome which was the UK’s most popular paying visitor attraction in 2000 and is now home to the world’s most popular music venue.

“A few projects went belly up but if we had made no mistakes it would have meant we had not taken enough risks. Taking risks with public money is not the normal way to operate but the result is that we still benefit from treasures such as the Eden project, Tate Modern the Millennium Stadium and the once wobbly but always wonderful Millennium Bridge.”

Funding Facts - what the funding achieved:

  • 225 different projects were created with £1.3 billion of Lottery money, throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
  • 6,900 permanent jobs were created by Millennium Commission funded projects
  • 6,500 miles of cycle and walking route as part of the National Cycle Network
  • More than 3,000 babies born with help of the Fertility Centre at Life
  • The biggest canal restoration project in the UK – Millennium Link
  • The biggest land reclamation project in the UK – Millennium Coastal Park
  • Over 10 per cent of the world’s wild plant species collected and conserved - Millennium Seed Bank

People can view the full report and decide what they think should be funded to build on the legacy of the Millennium projects on www.millenniumnow.org.uk. For example, choosing between whether landmark buildings should be funded or projects that preserve the natural environment or through funding people and skills training rather than physical assets.

Peter Wanless and Judith Donovan, Big Lottery Fund Board member and former Millennium Commissioner, will be taking questions live online on the Guardian Voluntary Network from 2pm today (9 May), as part of the discussion on what should be the new millennium priorities for the Big Lottery Fund.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659

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

Notes to Editors

  • The responsibilities of the Millennium Commission were transferred to the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) in 2006.
  • The Millennium Commission was set up in 1993 by the National Lottery Act as a short-life organisation, with a specific aim: to fund projects to celebrate the end of the second millennium and the start of the third.
  • 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 £25 billion has now been raised and more than 330,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

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