Get involved with National Lottery Open Week

Since The National Lottery’s first draw took place on 19 November 1994, more than £46 billion has been raised for good causes in the areas of arts, sport, film, heritage and community - that's over £30 million raised for good causes each week.

Thanks to National Lottery player support, more than 670,000 projects, just like yours, have received National Lottery funding.

As a recipient of National Lottery funding, you have had an enormous part in making a real difference to the people and places in your local community. We’re so pleased that you’ve been a part of our history. The National Lottery Open Week is a fantastic opportunity to thank National Lottery players who have helped to make your work possible as well as welcome visitors to your venue/ project.

What is The National Lottery Open Week?

The idea is simple: anyone who visits a National Lottery supported project and shows a National Lottery ticket, Instant Win Game, or scratchcard (physical or digital) is able to take up a special offer.

We want to be really clear that it's the support of National Lottery players who help fantastic projects and organisations to continue to make a difference to people and communities - and National Lottery Open Week is the perfect way to say #ThanksToYou.

What does a special offer look like?

From free entry into some of the UK’s most loved museums and heritage sites, to behind the scenes tours of world class sporting venues, a complimentary gift or cup of tea and cake, or setting aside tickets to a sold-out theatre performance, there are so many ways for everyone to say #ThanksToYou this National Lottery Open Week. This is a great opportunity to highlight the work you're doing.

Need some more inspiration? We've put together a list of the sorts of things others have done in previous years which shows how you can make this campaign work for you.

Why should my organisation get involved?

This is your chance to say 'thank you' to National Lottery players for the funding your organisation has received and to talk about what a difference that support has made in a clear and direct way.

It is also a fantastic opportunity to engage with new audiences, and welcome them to your venue/ project. In fact, of the projects that completed our 2023 participant survey, 100% of our participating venues said they would take part again.

In 2023, National Lottery players were able to access around 500 special offers across the UK, and over 65,000 players did.*

We will also be making sure that there is plenty of public visibility around the campaign in a number of different ways, including an exciting PR campaign, advertorial content, and social media activity. The call to action across everything we do will be for the public to search the listings website for special offers happening near them, meaning your special offer will have the chance to be seen by a huge amount of people.

How do I sign up?

If you have any questions about The National Lottery Open Week, we've prepared some FAQs which we hope will be helpful.

Otherwise, feel free to get in touch directly on thankstoyou@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and we'd be happy to help.

* Figures based on the venues who captured visitor numbers.