I'm Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund. Our mission is to support
communities and people most in need and we have around half the money for good causes
raised through Lottery ticket sales with which to do this. In a typical year, we
distribute around £600 million to amazing people doing incredible things to improve
the quality of life in their area.
Friends tell me it's the easiest job in the world to hand out cash to good causes.
It's certainly the best job I've had, though it certainly has its difficult moments.
There are many more good causes than there is money available - there is politics,
controversy and tough choices to make every day.
I hope this blog gives you a glimpse into some of those choices as well as drawing
attention to some of the remarkable people who make such great use of Lottery money.
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28 January 2010
By John Fellows
BIG Scotland Head of Communications and Marketing
As the countdown begins for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October, preparations are already well underway in Scotland for the 2014 Games in Glasgow. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for Scotland, and so the BIG Lottery Fund is playing its part in developing a lasting legacy for the Games with 2014 Communities, a micro grants programme for grassroots sport and community organisations which encourages people to take part in physical activity and volunteering. The programme is designed to enable all of Scotland's diverse communities to take part in a wide range of activities, whether it's encouraging more young people to play shinty or older people to take up tai chi, we can fund something for everyone.
Our aim is to create a national legacy around the games by investing in projects which are designed to help people to get out of their house and develop a healthy lifestyle. So far 436 groups have landed grants of up to £1,000, and today we’re announcing a new round of grants This is 2014 Communities’ biggest announcement to date, with 125 groups sharing in more than £118,000.
Looking through the successful applicants it’s fantastic to see what a relatively small amount of money can enable groups to do: today’s farthest flung group, Disability Shetland, will be offering trampoline sessions to kids with additional needs while in Dumfries and Galloway, volunteers at Dalbeattie High School will be trained in sports leadership before using their skills to coach primary pupils. It’s through these small steps that we can allow groups to try new things and benefit their local communities and that’s exactly why we created this programme in the first place. At the moment we’re reviewing 2014 Communities but we are already committed to retaining and expanding what we are doing for the next four years and look forward to seeing the programme evolve to meet needs in the years ahead.
06 January 2010
By Margaret Cooney
Deputy Director Policy & Partnerships
Two of our most respected and well-liked members of staff received OBEs in the New Year’s Honours List.
Melloney Poole, head of legal services and Walter Rader, director of Big Lottery Fund’s Northern Ireland office were awarded OBEs in recognition for their exemplary service to the community.
As if she wasn’t busy enough, Melloney, combines her full-time job at BIG with her as vice-chair of the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust. She’s remarkably good at both; colleagues here value her expertise and she is always approachable, supportive and patient, as I discovered recently when I went to her for advice on a particularly complex issue!
At the Royal Surrey Melloney did such a good job in developing their governance structure, she is now much in demand on the Health Service conference circuit and is often asked for advice by other Trusts. As might be expected of someone with such infinite reserves of energy she has also been a magistrate, school governor, parish councillor and a meals on wheels volunteer.
Walter is something of a legend at BIG. He takes a keen interest in the well being of staff and has the unique capacity to put everyone he meets immediately at ease. Previously Walter worked at the coalface in some of NI’s most disadvantaged communities, particularly at the height of the Troubles as a youth worker. This experience has held him in good stead throughout his career whether organising royal visits in NI as Honorary Secretary of The Prince’s Trust or running European funding streams.
He never forgets a face or a name and feels as comfortable in a room full of dignitaries or a classroom of rowdy children. If you are lucky enough, as I’ve been, to see him in action on his home patch then you will know that it can take a long time to get out of a room as Walter loves to catch up with old acquaintances, but this is one of the reasons why he is held in such high esteem by everyone he comes into contact with.
We’re delighted for both Melloney and Walter; their honours are well deserved and long may they continue to be inspirational figures in the community.