What’s New - Wales
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Giant Lord Rhys Puppet parades to The National Lottery stand at the Eisteddfod
5th August 2026
As Lord Rhys left the Eisteddfod Maes for the last time, the Cardigan company that built him was handed nearly £100,000 for its work with young people.
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Welsh past and present sporting legends toast Team Wales success at Glasgow 2026 watch party
2nd August 2026
Star-studded event features Jamie Baulch, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Chef de Mission Gethin Jones, Olivia Breen, Aled Davies, Rosie Eccles, Emily Roper, Abigail Roper, Charlotte Henrich, Dan Pitt and more.
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The castle. The nursery. The app that reached Australia. 850 years of the Eisteddfod - and over thirty years of National Lottery players making it possible
31st July 2026
On Christmas Day 1176, Rhys ap Gruffudd summoned the poets and musicians of Wales and beyond to a feast at his castle in Cardigan. It is the first ever recorded Eisteddfod. Eight hundred and fifty years later, that tradition is still alive - and among those who have helped keep it that way are the National Lottery players who, week after week, make good causes possible across Wales.
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Discover our top National Lottery funded places to visit this spring
28th May 2026
From family fun trails and castle adventures to wildlife encounters and stargazing sessions, here are a few National Lottery funded days out to visit this spring.
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Read all about it: From bookish Bradford’s City of Culture legacy to the nationwide Year of Reading 2026
22nd April 2026
£1bn+ of National Lottery literary links - the latest chapter being The Book of Bradford (2025), 11 short stories grace National Year of Reading 2026 - writer Nick Ahad reflects on his story and his home city of Bradford
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Built to last: The growing legacy of a National Lottery funded scheme for Heritage skills
17th April 2026
A bursary scheme backed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund gave 27 people up to two years of hands-on Heritage skills training. We tracked down one graduate and their employer to ask about the jobs won, the careers changed, and why 41% of those who trained in 'traditionally male' heritage trades were women.
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Revealing the "HiDDEN" during National Lottery Open Week
12th March 2026
A medieval library, working class movements, a Victorian courtoom and more: five interviews and a 30-year dataset reveal the 'HiDDEN Network' connecting Britain’s reform heritage and the Mancunian spirit - all helped by National Lottery funding.
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Animals aplenty: National Lottery Open Week 2026 roars into action
9th March 2026
Billions raised. Thousands of projects. Millions of wildlife encounters. This data-rich feature unearths how National Lottery funds have helped the UK’s animal kingdom — and what Open Week 2026 could mean for nature lovers ready to explore.
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Get your skates on: The family-run speed skating club growing the next gen
6th March 2026
Under the lights of the ice rink in Altrincham, a handful of skaters are keeping a winter sport alive. This is how the foundations of UK speed skating get built up, one steady session at a time.
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Ice cool: Team GB’s speedster Niall Treacy discusses his journey from Solihull to Milano-Cortina
19th February 2026
Meet Niall Treacy, Team GB Speed Skater, discussing Olympic insights, highs and lows, and staying cool under pressure
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Rink roots - Team GB Coach Richard Shoebridge's call to the next gen
19th February 2026
Team GB speed skating Coach Richard Shoebridge explains why the next generation should consider the ice, and bigs up the rink roots that are growing the next crop of talent
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Speed showdown: Team GB’s Niall Treacy vs. Usain Bolt (an imaginary race)
19th February 2026
Explore the short track speed skating oval like never before: An original datagraphic of an imagined race betwen Team GB's Niall Treacy and Usain Bolt in his prime.