The National Lottery is today calling on people across the UK to vote for their favourite projects in this year’s prestigious National Lottery Awards.

49 of the country’s most outstanding Lottery funded projects have made it through to the final and will battle it out to be named the winner in one of seven categories, each representing a different area of National Lottery funding.

The National Lottery Awards recognise and reward the inspirational work of National Lottery funded projects across all sections of society. National Lottery players raise a staggering £33 million every week for projects all across the UK.

Over 750 projects entered this year’s Awards, with a panel of judges selecting the finalists in each of the seven categories: arts, sport, heritage, health, environment, education and voluntary/charity.

The finalists are competing in a public vote between June 25 and July 23. Winners will be invited to a glittering awards ceremony in September which will be broadcast on BBC One. They will also pick up a coveted National Lottery Awards trophy and a £2,000 cash prize to spend on their project.

TV star and actor John Barrowman will be presenting the National Lottery Awards for the fourth time this year, he said: “Every year I am moved by the exceptional work that the finalists of the National Lottery Awards carry out. They typify everything that is right with society – the volunteering, community spirit and selflessness.

“I urge everyone to get behind their favourite projects as they aim to get the recognition they so richly deserve. National Lottery players should be proud that the £33m they raise for charities every single week goes to projects like these.”

Jackie O’Sullivan, of National Lottery Good Causes, said: “We had a superb number of entries this year and making it though to the finals of the National Lottery Awards is fantastic recognition of the impact these projects have had.

“All 49 finalists are outstanding examples of how National Lottery funding is changing lives and making a real difference to communities up and down the country.

“Every week National Lottery players raise over £33m for thousands of projects like these. It’s now down to you, the public, to get behind your favourite project and vote.”

Finalists:

Best Heritage Project

• Cotton Famine Park in Oldham has been restored to its original Victorian splendor with National Lottery funding, bringing alive its remarkable architecture and landscape, and attracting visitors back to the neglected area
• Home Of Metal was a series of events and exhibitions across the West Midlands celebrating the area’s heritage as the birthplace of heavy metal music and paying tribute to local bands who helped shape the genre globally
• The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth’s historic dockyard displays artefacts and the remaining hull of the Mary Rose, the favourite warship of Henry VIII before it sank in the Solent along with the loss of more than 500 crew in July 1545
• Moments in Time helps people living with dementia, telling their stories of life in the seaside town of Sidmouth, Devon. Memories are triggered through reminiscence trips, local history talks, memory boxes, and intergenerational exchanges, then shared through a community display, a memory book and online
• The Museum of Liverpool tells the story of the city in a stunning new building on Liverpool’s historic waterfront. It celebrates the city and its rich heritage with a range of bold and emotive collections and quality exhibitions
• National Lottery funding enabled the restoration of the much loved Hackney Empire arts theatre, leading to a significant increase in visitor numbers and giving thousands of young people the chance to develop their talents
• St George's Market is a restored historical indoor market building in Belfast that dates back to the 1890s. As well as markets and events, it houses shops, a restaurant and office accommodation

For listings of the finalists in the other categories: Best Arts Project, Best Education Project, Best Environment Project, Best Health Project, Best Sport Project and Best Voluntary/Charity Project, please visit the official website and follow us on twitter: hashtag natasha.brown@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk, tel: 020 7211 3927.