Big Lottery Fund's People's Projects competition is now open and they need your votes to decide who should pick up Lottery funding. From this week Big Lottery Fund and ITV have teamed up to offer the public a unique chance to have the final say on where £3m Lottery funding will make a difference across the UK.
In Scotland, 20 shortlisted projects will have their films shown on STV and ITV regional evening news programmes from Monday 29 February to Friday 4 March, at 6pm. Remember to tune in so that you can learn about each one before deciding on which one has your vote.
Funding Officer, Jessica Duncan, has found working on the People’s Project team in Scotland an incredible experience.
“As a relatively new member of staff this has been the first programme I have been a part of, and what a way to start!” she said.
“I became involved in the process after the initial sift stage and focussed on getting to know the groups and their projects, eventually writing assessment reports that would go to the finalists’ decision panel. Speaking to groups I was struck immediately by their enthusiasm as well as their drive to take the projects to the ‘next level’. I worked mainly with groups in the STV North region and as a Highlander myself, it was amazing to see such innovative community activity from groups based in rural and isolated areas where communication can be a challenge.
“Personally I think that it’s this platform for groups to communicate their message that makes the People’s Project so special. For the finalists across the STV regions, the People’s Projects is not just about the funding at the end, it’s their moment to shine. It’s about sharing the amazing work they do within their communities and asking for the chance to be able to do even more.
“A highlight of the process for me was getting to attend the media training in Edinburgh where I met the finalists from the STV East region. It was a day filled with workshops, information and activities to equip groups with the skills to get their messages across to the media and the public.
“As voting opens and the groups put these new campaigning and media skills to work, I have my fingers crossed for all the finalists. The projects that have made it this far represent a real cross section of the great work going on in communities across Scotland, and there will be three winners in each STV region. All the projects have their own unique mission, their own goals and their own character, which makes it really difficult to compare them to each other – but go on, give it a try!”
Source: Big Lottery Fund Scotland
Supporting Scotland's Towns