The seven winners beat hundreds of projects from across the UK to win the prestigious title of the UK’s favourite Lottery projects at the event, which was broadcast live on BBC One.

 

There are seven categories in the Awards, each reflecting an area of Lottery funding.  The lucky winners of The National Lottery Awards 2011 (in association with the Telegraph) are:

 

• Best Arts Project: Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre, Leeds
• Best Education Project (in association with Best magazine):
  Include Duchenne, UK-wide
• Best Environment Project: The Green Valley Centre, Bryncynon
• Best Health Project (in association with iVillage.co.uk): Sense Scotland, Scotland-wide
• Best Heritage Project: We Were Brothers: WW1 A Shared Heritage, Derry
• Best Sport Project: The Bluebird Care Hampshire Disability Cricket Programme
• Best Voluntary/Charity Project: Hands That Talk, Derry

 

Representatives from all 22 finalist projects mingled with celebrity guests at this year’s star-studded awards event, including host Myleene Klass and special celebrity guests Ashley Banjo and Perri Kiely from Diversity, Holby City’s Laila Rouass, Dragons’ Den’s Hilary Devey, Dr. Pamela Stephenson  and Professor Robert Winston.  A short film on each of the finalists was also played during the special BBC One programme.

 

Congratulating the winners, Myleene Klass said: “National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for large and small projects across the UK.  The National Lottery Awards are a fantastic way of celebrating the enormous amount of hard work that goes into making these projects a success.  All the finalists make a real difference to people and communities every day thanks to their Lottery funding.”

 

About The National Lottery Awards

The National Lottery Awards are an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.  All the projects entered in the competition had already received Lottery funding and the Awards recognise the difference that these projects make to local communities, and celebrate the achievements of the people behind them. For more information on the Awards and the winners across all seven categories go to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

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For images of all winning projects accepting their National Lottery Award and interview requests, please contact:

Michael Thompson, michael.thompson@lotterygooodcauses.org.uk or 0207 211 3991  

 

For broadcast quality footage of all seven winners please visit the National Lottery Awards Online Press Office:  

URL:                http://onlinepressoffice.tnrcommunications.co.uk/national-lottery-awards

Password:         lottery

ROUGH CUT footage available from: Sunday 6^th November 2011 - 1000hrs

EDITED news package for online media available from: Sunday 6^th November 2011 - 1500hrs

 

You will be required to enter your name, the name of your organisation, a valid email address and the above password to gain access to the site.  Please note that the password is case sensitive. 

 

All visitors must accept the Terms & Conditions of use governing the site before entering.

 

Any problems, please contact TNR on +44 (0)20 7963 7163

 

Notes to Editors

 

• Since the Lottery began in 1994, over £26 billion has been raised for Good Causes by Lottery players and over 370,000 grants have been made across the UK.  For more information go to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

 

• In addition to the Lottery funding that it has already received, the winning project in each of the seven categories received a £2,000 cash prize to spend on its project

 

• All voting was independently adjudicated and verified by Electoral Reform Services

 

• The National Lottery Awards 2011 (in association with the Telegraph) were launched in January this year, and over 800 Lottery-funded projects entered. An independent panel of judges selected a shortlist of ten projects per category which then competed in two rounds of public voting:

 

Semi- Finals

• The semi-final stage ran from 31 May – 20 June.  There were a total of 70 projects in the semi-finals – 10 in each of the seven categories
• The three projects with the most votes in each category went through to the final round of public voting, except for in the Arts category, where there was a tie and four projects went through

 

Finals

• The final voting stage ran from 2 September – 26 September. There were a total of 22 projects in the finals - three in six categories and four in one category
• There is only one winner in each category. The seven winners were announced during the show, broadcast live on BBC One on 5 November
• The event was held at The London Studios

 

 

The finalists and runners-up for the National Lottery Awards 2011 (in association with the Telegraph) are listed below:

 

Winner of the Best Arts Project: Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre, Leeds

Runners-up: The Smiling Sessions, Waltham Forest

                   mac birmingham

Razed Roof: Inclusion Through Practice, Harlow

 

Winner of the Best Education Project

(in association with Best magazine): Include Duchenne, UK-wide

Runners-up: Windmills Cafe, Lanarkshire

                   Community Horticultural Enterprise, Derry

 

Winner of the Best Environment Project: The Green Valley Centre, Bryncynon

Runners-up: Open Air Laboratories Network (OPAL), England-wide

                   Brighter Future Workshop, Lancashire

 

Winner of the Best Health Project

(in association with iVillage.co.uk):  Sense Scotland

Runners-up: Altogether Better Programme, Yorkshire and the Humber

                   Surf Action CIC, Cornwall

 

Winner of the Best Heritage Project: We Were Brothers: WW1 A Shared Heritage, Derry

Runners-up: Wentworth Castle (Trust) & Stainborough Park, Near Barnsley

                   Unfolding the Quilts, York

 

Winner of the Best Sport Project: The Bluebird Care Hampshire Disability Cricket Programme

Runners-up: Active Newcastle

                   Chase Trails Cycle Project, Staffordshire

 

Winner of the Best Voluntary/Charity Award: Hands That Talk, Derry

Runners-up: Oasis Domestic Abuse Service, Kent

                   Dean and Cauvin Trust’s Aftercare Service, Edinburgh