Carrick teen leaps into action for National Lottery campaign

Carrickfergus free runner Shattner K Joy has leapt into action for a special image commissioned to celebrate the life-changing difference of National Lottery funding.
Urban free runner Shattner K Joy, from Carrickfergus, with the special image in which he features.  The image was commissioned to celebrate the life-changing difference of National Lottery funding which will go on display at the Giants Causeway Visitor Centre next month.  INCT 49-722-CONUrban free runner Shattner K Joy, from Carrickfergus, with the special image in which he features.  The image was commissioned to celebrate the life-changing difference of National Lottery funding which will go on display at the Giants Causeway Visitor Centre next month.  INCT 49-722-CON
Urban free runner Shattner K Joy, from Carrickfergus, with the special image in which he features. The image was commissioned to celebrate the life-changing difference of National Lottery funding which will go on display at the Giants Causeway Visitor Centre next month. INCT 49-722-CON

The parkour specialist, who is a former pupil of Carrickfergus College, appears in a giant piece of art which depicts more than 150 people from 50 Lottery-funded projects across the UK.

Parkour involves people running, jumping, rolling, climbing and vaulting over obstacles.

This month, The National Lottery is celebrating its 21st anniversary and the collage will be exhibited next week at the Giant’s Causeway which also features on the display.

Urban free runners Shattner K. Joy and Athan Pathayatou practice parkour at the restored World War 2 Churchill Tank in Carrickfergus.   INCT 49-723-CONUrban free runners Shattner K. Joy and Athan Pathayatou practice parkour at the restored World War 2 Churchill Tank in Carrickfergus.   INCT 49-723-CON
Urban free runners Shattner K. Joy and Athan Pathayatou practice parkour at the restored World War 2 Churchill Tank in Carrickfergus. INCT 49-723-CON

Shattner is a member of the UK-wide charity Fixers who help give young people a voice in order to shape their future.

The 19-year-old and a group of fellow Fixers made a film to promote the positive side of free running/parkour.

He demonstrated his ability with fellow free runner Athan Pathayatou as they vaulted from the Churchill World War II tank in Carrickfergus, which was recently restored with National Lottery cash.

Shattner said: “It was a great honour to be asked to appear in this image.

“Thanks to the National Lottery and the Fixers charity, I have been able to become involved in a campaign to highlight a pastime of which I am extremely passionate.

“Without the support of Lottery players, our project would literally not have been able to get off the ground.”

Jackie O’Sullivan, from the National Lottery, added: “It’s no easy task attempting to capture the vast scale of National Lottery funding over the past 21 years – but we have had a bash.

“National Lottery players have raised more than £1 billion for people, projects and places in Northern Ireland.

“From the stones of the world famous Giant’s Causeway to the streets of towns and villages, National Lottery support has made a life-changing difference to so many in Northern Ireland.

“We are very excited to take the art piece on a tour of incredible Lottery-funded projects across the UK, including the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre. Hopefully the art work will inspire the public to apply for Lottery funding.”