The projects beat off stiff competition from 620 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards – the annual search for the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.   Voting runs for five weeks from 9am on Wednesday 24 June until midnight on Wednesday 29 July.  

The winners of the seven National Lottery Awards categories will get a £2,000 cash prize, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and attend a star-studded awards ceremony, broadcast on BBC One in September. 

The finalists in this year’s National Lottery Awards are:

Best Arts Project, which is being presented in association with Woman’s Weekly 

• The Big Music Project is a UK-wide initiative that uses the expertise of some of the biggest names in entertainment to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds take their first steps towards a career in the music industry
• Dark Clouds is a year-long educational project that produced six music and dance performances focussing on the centenary of the First World War
• Get It Loud In Libraries showcases new music acts from around the world by holding live gigs in libraries across the north west of England
• The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme celebrated Scotland’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games and was the most ambitious and wide-reaching programme of national cultural activity that has ever taken place in the country
• Inside Out of Mind is an exciting theatre experience that shows the reality of living and working with dementia and the impact on carers - those employed in health care as well as friends and family.
• The Ministry of Stories is a writing and mentoring centre in east London that supports and inspires young people
• The Whitworth in Manchester works with diverse local communities as well as welcoming visitors from around the world.  Its recent £15million transformation has created a gallery fit for the 21st century

Best Education Project

• BoxClever & Kid Gloves project aims to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of young people from Newtownabbey and North Belfast in Northern Ireland through the use of sport to improve their educational attainment
• The High Street Experiment helps young people who are depressed or isolated turn their lives around by giving them the opportunity to design their own education to develop skills and gain qualifications
• Tyne Gateway has developed a unique model of family support through 'Family Entrepreneurs', providing dedicated and bespoke support to previously hard to engage families to improve the life chances of primary-aged children
• Learning for Life helps children with Down syndrome in County Durham and Northumberland overcome speech difficulties, problems with movement, literacy and numeracy and offers support to their parents
• Life in My Shoes develops creative, engaging resources which bring to life the true stories of young people in the UK living with HIV
• Teens and Toddlers helps young people who are struggling at school with low self-esteem or low attainment and truancy.  Through a combination of mentoring, vocational qualifications and classroom training, the project gives them the life skills and self-belief they need to get their lives back on track
• The Centre for Brain Injury Rehabilitation & Development’s Transforming Lives project aims to improve the psychological development of children in Oldham who experience difficulties with communication, behaviour and education

Best Environment Project

• The Belfast Hills Landscape Partnership Scheme focuses on protecting and restoring the landscapes of the Belfast Hills.  More than 30 different projects are being undertaken to address environmental threats and improve access to the hills
• The Dark Hedges is an avenue of beech trees planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century leading up to the entrance of their estate, Gracehill, in Stranocum, County Antrim in Northern Ireland
• Growing Newsome is a project in the Newsome area of Huddersfield that brings together a network of 700 food growers to share plants, seeds, experiences, recipes, ideas and enthusiasm
• The 360 Observatory sits in the middle of a remote Welsh wetland, allowing people to get a unique view of a rich mix of wildlife – in particular the rare ospreys that nest nearby. 
• Real Food Wythenshawe encourages and supports local residents to live more sustainably with a message of ‘Grow it! Cook it! Eat it!’
• Wild About Hampstead Heath allows people to explore the Heath and its rich wildlife, and comprises more than 300 events, ranging from wildlife festivals to family activities and school visits, and offers long-term educational programmes for local schools
• Your Seas, a community marine education project, aims to educate the public on whales, dolphins and porpoises, their habitat and the threats they face, encouraging people to protect their local marine environment

Best Heritage Project

• First World War in the Air gallery at The Royal Air Force Museum, brings to life the compelling stories of the people, innovations, engineering and aircraft of the Great War
• Information Age at the Science Museum has brought to life 200 years of innovation in information and communication technologies and is their biggest and most ambitious gallery to date
• The Lincoln Castle Revealed project restored the 11th century castle in time for the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta this year.  61,000 people have visited the Castle since April, boosting the local economy and raising awareness of the importance of Magna Carta on our lives today
• Mind the Gap project at the Mid Hants Railway 'Watercress Line' provides young people with apprenticeships that involve training in transferable heritage engineering and carpentry skills and the opportunity to help preserve the Watercress Line
• The Newbridge Memo, formerly Celynen Collieries Institute and Memorial Hall, has been restored to its former glory. A venue and community hub, it has facilitated learning through cultural activities and heritage experiences, and established a new library and information resource centre for the local community
• Áras Cholmcille St. Columba Heritage Centre promotes the early monastic history and cultural heritage of Derry~Londonderry, 2013 UK City of Culture and its founding father, Columba, preserving his legacy for future generations
• Together We Won the War is an exhibition, run by the Race Equality Centre in the East Midlands, showcasing the bravery of people from many of the former British colonies who assisted the British Armed Forces in the First World War

Best Health Project

• Armagh Men's Shed provides a friendly open and safe environment for men to socialise, share and learn new skills, and work together on a variety of projects while improving their health and wellbeing
• Back Up Mentoring helps people who are paralysed as a result of spinal cord injury and their family members.  Volunteer mentors with personal experience of spinal cord injury offer support and a listening ear to help people adjust to the changes they face and to live rewarding and independent lives
• The Brink in Liverpool is the UK’s first alcohol-free bar and café supporting people to overcome drug and alcohol addictions. Daily therapy sessions, after-care and work placements run alongside a vibrant social and entertainment programme
• Papworth Trust’s Kerry Farm is a unique holiday destination in the beautiful Welsh countryside that provides free respite breaks for families caring for loved ones with a disability, illness or injury
• Music Matters, ran by Music in Hospitals, provided uplifting live music performances for ill and disabled older people in care homes across the West Midlands.
• Strathcarron Hospice at Home provides people who are at the end of their life and wish to spend their last few days at home with personal, practical and emotional support.
• Action on Postpartum Pyschosis is a national network of women and families affected by Postpartum Psychosis - a severe form of postnatal mental illness, with mania or psychosis beginning in the days following childbirth - providing peer support and information about it.

Best Sport Project

• Erskine Celebrates the Commonwealth Games ran a programme of activities enabling ex-service men and women to get active and feel a sense of connection to the Commonwealth Games
• I Will If You Will (IWIYW) aims to create a blueprint of how to tackle the gender gap between the numbers of men and women playing sport. It comprises a marketing campaign and an activity programme for women in Bury, Lancashire
• Sport England TASS helps young people across England to get the very best out of their academic and athletic ability.  The scheme has already helped 150 Olympic and Paralympic medallists and is globally recognised for its ability to help people pursue sport and education
• Sport Scotland Community Sport Hubs have a simple aim – to provide a home for sport.  The network of 137 hubs offer local sporting opportunities to people all over Scotland
• This Girl Can is a bold campaign that tackles head on the barriers that stop millions of women being more active. A sassy celebration of active women everywhere, it features everyday women and girls who have overcome their fears of being judged and found their own way of being physically active
• The Wave Project in Cornwall supports the social development of physically or mentally disabled children and young people through surfing lessons
• North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Team is the As the only wheelchair rugby league team in Wales. It provides a valuable opportunity for able-bodied and disabled people to play sports together

Best Voluntary/Charity project

• Changing Minds delivers workshops and award winning mentoring programmes for children and young people in Wales who have been, or are currently being, bullied
• Future 4 Me supports some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the West of England; those leaving care and custody
• Home-Start Ryedale supports families across Ryedale, North Yorkshire, who may be experiencing a range of challenges in their daily lives such as social isolation, physical or mental health problems, financial or housing issues
• Joined-Up Linking provides a bespoke service for ex-service personnel and their families in Wales to support their transition back into civilian life and build their confidence and self-esteem
• The Marie Curie Helper Service is provided by specially trained volunteers who offer one-to-one support to terminally ill people and their carers in Northern Ireland during weekly home visits
• The Silver Line Helpline is the only 24 hour, free and confidential telephone helpline for lonely and isolated older people available every day and night of the year offering information, friendship and advice
• Sparkhill Foodbank provides food, drink and toiletries to people who are in poverty & crisis, including homeless people, in the West Midlands

TV star and actor John Barrowman will be presenting the National Lottery Awards for the fifth time this year.  He says: “The exceptionally selfless work carried out by National Lottery Awards finalists never fails to astound me. Their work deserves to be celebrated nationally; the community spirit, dedication and compassion.”

“It is crucial that you show your support for your local projects so they can get the national glory that they richly deserve.  National Lottery players should swell with pride that £34 million of Lottery funding is raised every week for projects like these across the UK.”

To vote, please go to NLA website and follow the campaign on Twitter at the hashtag #NLAwards.

There are seven projects competing for votes across seven categories, reflecting the main areas of National Lottery funding: arts, sport, heritage, health, environment, education and voluntary/charity. 

Notes to editors

• Telephone voting calls cost 5p max (a connection charge may be applied by some networks.Please check with your provider.)

• All voting will be independently adjudicated and verified by Electoral Reform Services

Further information

Michael Thompsom, The National Lottery Awards, email: Michael.Thompson@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk, or tel: 020 7211 3894