BLF: News at Ten's Julie puts on the glitter with the people's millions gold

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Tuesday, 18, Mar 2008 12:00

ITV’s News At Ten co-anchor Julie Etchingham is calling for people across the UK to go for gold with the People’s Millions contest launched today.

The Big Lottery Fund is giving communities up and down the country the chance to win the public’s support in their region and share in £5 million of Lottery good cause money.

Five awards of up to £50,000 will be up for grabs in each of ITV’s 18 regions – a total of 90 awards across the UK and a potential quarter of a million pounds for each region for projects that improve and enrich the communities they live in.

Organisations across the regions have until the 15 May 2008 to enter the contest. The finalists will be screened on ITV regional evening news programmes later in the year when the public in each region will be able to cast their vote for the projects they want to win the Lottery good cause cash.

Since the People’s Millions contest began four years ago, a total of £13.6m has been awarded to 229 community projects and more than 1.1 million people across the UK have voted. Previous winners have used their awards on an array of projects from transforming local areas into community wildlife havens to creating sensory play areas for children with special needs.

Launching the contest in a glamorous gold dress designed by Stewart Parvin, Julie Etchingham, said: "People's Millions is a wonderful project because it gives money to groups that are making a real difference to their communities - and, what's more, it's the viewers in those communities who decide which projects are going to benefit. We've got close to £5 million to give away, so if you're involved with a project that really transforms your local environment or makes your community a better place to live then we want to hear from you – and fast!”

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “People across the UK are being given a new opportunity to have their say directly on where Lottery good cause funding goes in their region through the People’s Millions contest. The contest has captured the imagination of communities and viewers alike with thousands voting to secure money for community schemes in their area. The competition’s popularity and the diverse nature of the projects is testament to its value and shows how dedicated the nation is to improving its wonderful communities.”

Application packs for People’s Millions are available by calling the hotline: 08450 10 11 12* or by visiting www.peoplesmillions.org.uk. The deadline for applications is 15 May 2008.

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Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888 Out of Hours contact: 07867 500 572

ITV Press Office: Beverley Wilkins 07919 573659

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

Notes to Editors

* Calls cost maximum of 4p per minute from a BT landline. Calls from mobiles and other networks may be higher.

• 90 awards are up for grabs – 4 plus one bonus award in each of 18 ITV regions.

ITV broadcast regions in the People’s Millions:

ITV Anglia (East)

ITV Anglia (West)

ITV Border

ITV Central (East)

ITV Central (West)

ITV Granada ITV London

ITV Meridian (South)

ITV Meridian (South East)

ITV Thames Valley

ITV Tyne Tees

ITV Wales ITV West

ITV West Country

ITV Yorkshire

stv Central

stv North

UTV

• 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. This year projects that provide opportunities or facilities for enjoying the local environment have also been added to the funding criteria.

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.

• Telephone voting numbers – As with previous years, ITV and the Big Lottery Fund will use a low cost non-premium rate telephone number. ITV and Big do not make a profit from the voting telephone numbers.

• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.

On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.