Community groups in Derry have chance to win £70k of National Lottery Funding

The National Lottery Community Fund is giving community organisations in Derry and Strabane the opportunity to win up to £70,000 of National Lottery funding and showcase their work on TV, through The People’s Projects.  

In partnership with UTV, The People’s Projects is now open to applications from amazing local projects that make a real difference to people’s lives.  

Five inspiring community projects in Northern Ireland will then be shortlisted to take part in a high-profile campaign and public vote, including being showcased on UTV Live evening news in May 2023.  

The three projects with the highest public votes will win up to £70,000 and the two runners up will be awarded up to £10,000.

This programme is also a unique opportunity for National Lottery players and the Northern Ireland public to have a say in how more than £200,000 of National Lottery funding is put to good use and awarded to community projects in their area.  

A previous local winner of The People’s Projects, Foyle Down Syndrome Trust, received £49,710 of National Lottery funding thanks to winning the public vote. 

The group used the grant to work with young people aged 16-30 with learning disabilities to increase their independence and confidence. They ran cookery courses, wellbeing activities and upgraded their kitchen facilities.  

Chris Cooper, Manager of Foyle Down Syndrome Trust, said: “Taking part in The People’s Projects is something I’d really recommend to groups. The work we put into it was very much worth it. We were overwhelmed with the votes we received - the local community supported us in their droves.

“Our young people loved helping with the campaign, encouraging people to vote for them and seeing themselves on UTV. The amazing support they received from the community really boosted their confidence.  

“Since winning The People’s Projects, we’ve been successful in getting long-term funding for our core wellbeing programme and the kitchen and cooking facilities have been central to this. 

"It has really helped our members to learn new skills, improve their self-esteem and become more independent.”

The People’s Projects is a UK wide partnership between The National Lottery Community Fund, ITV, UTV and the Sunday Mail (in Scotland). 

Now in its 15th year, there will be 57 winning projects across the UK and up to 38 runner-up organisations winning a share of over £4.3 million.  

UTV Reporter Paul Reilly, said: "The People's Projects is an exciting opportunity for people to make a real difference to their communities. 

"We look forward to working with some fantastic projects from across Northern Ireland and showcasing their ideas on UTV in May 2023.”

Paul Sweeney, The National Lottery Community Fund, Northern Ireland Chair, said: “We’re delighted to announce the return of The People’s Projects. Thanks to National Lottery players this programme not only delivers much-needed funding to the heart of communities, but also showcases the incredible efforts of hard-working grassroots groups.  

“It offers an exciting opportunity for the wider general public to have their say in how National Lottery funding is used to make a difference to people’s lives in their area, particularly in these challenging times.”

Since it started in 2005, The People’s Projects has awarded around £45 million to over 1,000 good causes.   

Visit www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk for more information and to apply. The programme will close for applications on Friday 7 October 2022.