New figures reveal that £73,687 has gone to communities in the Bracknell constituency throughout 2020, thanks to National Lottery players. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 this year, vital National Lottery funding has supported communities to keep going and helped local good causes to respond at pace.

The money, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, has been used by local community projects to overcome some of this year’s obstacles, to deliver crucial support and bring a sense of togetherness to people while they have had to remain apart.

The money has reached five community groups in the Bracknell constituency this year. Whether small grants to local projects or long-term investments into systemic change, National Lottery funding has made it possible for groups to find innovative ways of keeping their communities connected and to reach those who need the most help.

One project who received part of this funding is the South Hill Park Trust who received £8,970 to produce an exhibition showcasing the stories of people living with invisible illnesses/disabilities

James Sunderland MP said: “This year has been a difficult year for so many people and it is good to know that thanks to National Lottery players over £73,000 has been distributed to projects in the Bracknell area. In this respect, we all win.”

Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “I am incredibly proud that we have distributed £650 million across the UK in what has been an extremely difficult year, helping to boost community spirit when it has been needed most. Our communities are more important than ever, so we’re delighted to see that thousands of groups have stepped up to provide support – we want to thank the many amazing volunteers and community workers for making this happen.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for the UK’s good causes, and £41 billion has been distributed to 565,000 good causes across the UK since 1994.

Last year, The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. Over eight in ten (83%) of its grants are for under £10,000 - going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are doing great things to support their communities through these challenging times.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk