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TV presenter Kate Walsh launched the Midlands leg of The National Lottery's Britain Has Balls tour, which is celebrating the great things ballsy Brits do with Lottery funding to support talent, charities and communities across the UK.

Lottery-funded projects joined Kate at Victoria Square on Tuesday 2 March.  Young writers from the Birmingham Book Festival Write On! Project; a smoothie bike from Sport 4 Life, drummers from the Steel Pan Academy Pan-Round-Neck Band and in-line speed skaters from the Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club challenged Kate to try her hand at the activities they were demonstrating to the public.

Over the next week, The National Lottery's Britain Has Balls tour is visiting some of the projects in the Midlands that have benefited from the 46,000 Lottery grants given out across the region over the past 15 years.  Every week Lottery players raise £25 million for Good Causes and thousands of ballsy people across the Midlands have been using Lottery funding, plus a huge amount of hard work and dedication, to make a big difference to people and places in their communities.

Kate Walsh explains, "I'm really impressed by the Lottery-funded projects I've met today.  They have all had the guts to go out there and really make a difference in their community.  And it's so nice to see so many of the kids here enjoying taking part in activities that wouldn't be possible for them without Lottery funding."

Liam Pegg, now 13, is one of thousands of young people who benefit from Lottery-funded projects.  Liam was born with a condition known as talipes, a deformity of the foot in which both his feet were twisted out of shape.  Liam struggled to take part in mainstream sports but when the Skate-Smart Programme (run by the Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club) was introduced to his school he decided to have a go.

Liam says: "I come from a really sporty family and so not being able to take part in most sports was really hard.  When I tried in-line skating I was really worried it was going to be like all the other sports, but it was really fun and painless, and my disability actually helped me as it was easy for me to 'lock out' my ankles - which is really important to be a successful in-line speed skater.  Now after three years I have won loads of medals and trophies after taking part in national events across the country.  I was even part of the Club's relay team last year and we came second in the 2009 British Championships!  Being part of the Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club has helped my confidence grow loads and I've made some brilliant friends!"

In the last year alone, over £141 million of Lottery funding has been given to arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and environment projects in the Midlands.

To find out more, visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/britainhasballs/midlands

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For further information contact:

suzi.culshaw@redconsultancy.com / 020 7025 6450

lynsey.barry@redconsultancy.com / 020 7025 6593

or rebecca.gowrley@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk / 07968 278851.

Projects participating in the Midlands launch event:

• Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club - is a speed-skating group for all ages and abilities. To date it has received over £8,000 through Awards for All
• Birmingham Book Festival Write On! Project - is a regional creative writing programme, which organises professional writers to work with groups of children, teachers and parents/carers in schools. To date it has received over £450,000 through Arts Council England
• Steel Pan Academy Pan-Round-Neck Band - is the second pan-round-neck band in the country. The Steel Pan Academy works to increase access and opportunity to quality steel pan teaching, learning and playing. To date it has received over £14,000 through Arts Council England and Awards for All
• Sport 4 Life - is a charity dedicated to changing lives through the power of sport in Birmingham. They provide sports activities, exercise classes, and healthy lifestyle projects citywide, working exclusively in deprived areas. To date it has received over £26,000 through Sport England and Awards for All.

Lottery funding facts you might not know:

• Every public library in the UK has been able to go online thanks to Lottery funding
• Lottery funding has enabled over 42,000 WWII veterans to revisit sites around the world where they served during the war
• Over £10 billion of National Lottery funding has gone to projects that benefit children and young people
• Over £4 billion of funding has been invested in sport
• Over £1 billion has been invested in projects supporting improved health and well-being
• Over half of all Lottery grants are for under £5,000.