Women Wise project scoop Lottery windfall

The Women Wise! project, which is being developed by Compass Advocacy Network Ltd, is one of six projects that could win awards of up to £50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s People’s Millions contest, to be showcased on UTV Live during November 24 to 26.

The Women Wise! project, if successful, will bring together vulnerable and hard to reach women of all ages with and without learning difficulties across a range of venues throughout the Causeway area to take part in workshops to improve their emotional and physical wellbeing.

The Ballymoney project will go head to head with The Imagine Arts Centre project in Newry, which is being developed by Kaleidoscope, on the second night, Tuesday 25th November. If successful, The Imagine Arts Centre project will set up the UK’s first dedicated Arts Centre for older people.

This is the ninth year that the Big Lottery Fund and UTV have given the public the chance to choose where the Lottery good cause cash goes in their region. The TV contest will see two projects go head-to-head each night. The six projects will make their case for the public’s vote to win Lottery funding on UTV Live, with the winners being decided in a phone vote.

Voting numbers will be available on the day the projects are due to appear on UTV with telephone voting lines opening at 9am on each day and winners announced the following day.

And a range of community projects across Northern Ireland, including Newry, Ballymoney, Belfast and Cookstown are now hoping to win a £50,000 grant to make a lasting difference in their area.

Joanne McDowell, Big Lottery Fund NI Director, said: “The People’s Millions competition is a brilliant opportunity for people to have a say in how Lottery money is spent in their communities. Voters will have some difficult choices to make in deciding which of the excellent projects going head to head will get their support. But most importantly, the end result will benefit people and communities most in need.”

Michael Wilson, Managing £50,000 of Lottery money to improve their communities.

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We congratulate all the projects on making the final shortlist and wish them all the very best of luck.”