With all the complaints of the changes to the National Lottery in recent weeks meaning more rollovers, it is important to focus on some of the wonderful projects that money raised from Lotto goes towards. It has always been the case to make available lottery funding for good causes, it was written into the charter as a condition when the game was introduced in the early 1990s. Over the years, money has gone to charities and towards something called The Heritage Lottery Fund. However, it is administered as part of a wider government body to support heritage and monuments in Britain.
The Heritage Lottery Fund was set up in 1993. Since then, it has granted most of the lottery funding for good causes. Grants are between £5,000 and £1m and each applicant must set out a plan and a costing for the project that the money will be used. In the past, money made available through this has been used for new facilities, restoration work, essential conservation and much more. It is now a vital part of our funding for tourist projects.
Another Good Cause Gets Funding
Copyright PAUL FARMER and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0
Recently, lottery funding for good causes through the HLF was made available to Seaford Museum – a heritage project located on the sea front at Seaford near Eastbourne in Sussex. The facility applied for a grant to install a new lift and footbridge; last week, their application was accepted and the management expect to see that money very soon so they can begin the planned upgrades. The tower in which it is situated was built as a defensive fortification during the Napoleonic Wars. As well as having its own exhibits, it plays host to a number of historical societies and local groups.