Edinburgh and Lothians groups could win share of £2 million fund from The National Lottery to bring people together

A £2 million National Lottery fund has opened to celebrate The National Lottery’s 25th Birthday, with thousands of grants available to anyone with a great idea to bring their community together. 

Edinburgh and Lothian groups stand a chance of winning up to £1,000 from the £2million fund from the National Lottery, called #CelebrateNationalLottery25.

It is designed to help every community join in with The National Lottery’s 25-year birthday celebrations and is open to anyone across the UK with a great idea to make a difference in their local community. 

#CelebrateNationalLottery25 opens to applications from Saturday 23 November at 8am, until Friday 6 December. 

Whether it’s a wheelchair lift for a dial-a-ride minivan, a set of events at your local library or even a llama visit to a primary school, The National Lottery wants to hear your great ideas.  Go to www.CelebrateNationalLottery25.com for more information and how to apply.

A recent National Lottery survey of 2,000 UK adults revealed being part of a community makes people feel happier (84%), less lonely (81%) and mentally healthier (75%). It is hoped #CelebrateNationalLottery25 will boost community spirit and appeal to individuals who might not previously considered applying for National Lottery funding.

Neil Ritch, Director, Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “For 25 years The National Lottery has been helping communities to thrive in every corner of the Scotland – from inner cities to rural villages, and everywhere in between.

That’s why the fund, #CelebrateNationalLottery25, is to say happy birthday and to empower anyone and everyone to make their idea for their community a reality.”

Academy Award winners Aardman have teamed up with The National Lottery to release a film to celebrate the fund.  It features great ideas of what people would do if they had £1,000 to use in their community from young people hosting a party to bring neighbours of all generations together to older people hiring a café to fill with memorabilia to help stimulate memories for those living with dementia.

#CelebrateNationalLottery25 is being funded and delivered by The National lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. The Fund marks the culmination of a major campaign by The National Lottery celebrating its impact over the past 25 years and thanking players for contributing £30 million to good causes every week.

A further £5.5 million will be released to grassroots community groups next year through The National Lottery Community Fund’s popular Awards For All scheme.