Since 1994, £40billion from The National Lottery has gone to good causes, helping to change lives and transform communities across the UK.

This year’s special 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards recognise the most outstanding projects that have received funding during that time. Winners receive a £10,000 prize.

The shortlist includes the following 11 projects which have received money from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Which gets your vote?

A Celebration of Orchards, London

London has lost 98% of its orchards over the last century. From 2016 to 2019, A Celebration of Orchards brought 30 of the capital’s ‘lost’ orchards back to life. In doing so it created sustainable food sources, engaged the community across generations and taught people new skills.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAOrchards.

Back from the Brink

Through 19 projects across England, since 2017 Back from the Brink has been on a mission to save 20 endangered native species from extinction and benefit 200 others that are at risk. These include plants, fungi and animals such as the pine marten, shrill carder bee and ladybird spider.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAFromTheBrink.

Brooke Park, Derry

Brooke Park underwent a full regeneration from 2015 to 2017. Historic buildings and natural areas were restored and a café, all-weather football pitch and a horticultural training centre were added. Previously neglected, the now thriving park has more than 200,000 visitors a year.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLABrookePark.

Froglife

Froglife cares for the animals that are not always popular with the public. From 2012 to 2019, the Dragon Finder projects helped to conserve reptiles and amphibians in London, Scotland and the East of England, including through the use of an app. The recently launched T.O.A.D. scheme is supporting London toads, which have decreased in numbers by two thirds in 30 years.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAFroglife.

Holocaust Heritage & Learning Centre, Huddersfield

The Holocaust Heritage & Learning Centre opened in 2018 at the University of Huddersfield. Through its archive, exhibitions and collection of oral histories, it keeps the stories of the Holocaust alive so that future generations can learn about the dangers of intolerance and prejudice.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAHolocaustLearning.

The Mary Rose Trust and Museum, Portsmouth

The award-winning museum was opened in 2016 to conserve and share the story of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s most successful warship which sank off the Portsmouth coast during 1545’s Battle of the Solent. The only ship of its kind on display in the world, it now has 360,000 visitors a year who can learn about its history through 19,000 Tudor artefacts.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAMaryRose.

The Mourne Mountains Landscape, County Down

The dramatic scenery of the Mourne Mountains inspired CS Lewis’s magical world of Narnia. From 2013 to 2017, the project reconnected thousands of people to the landscape and revived traditional skills through its activities. Nature has been revitalised and key features restored, including 1,034m of dry stone wall and 3.7km of eroded paths.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAMournes.

St Ann’s Allotments, Nottingham

Established in the 1830s, with roots dating back to the 1550s, St Ann’s Allotments are the oldest collection of Victorian detached town gardens in the UK. They are also the largest, with 670 allotment gardens spread over 75 acres. Extensively renovated from 2007 to 2017 following a period of neglect, they are now home to a wealth of nature, wildlife and community activity.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAAllotments.

St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff

One of the biggest open-air museums in Europe, St Fagans showcases Welsh life throughout history. The museum recently completed a substantial redevelopment to coincide with its 70th birthday in 2018 and won the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award in 2019. An amazing 600,000 annual visitors make it the most popular heritage attraction in Wales.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAStFagans.

York Minster

Between 2010 and 2018, conservators used ground-breaking techniques alongside traditional craft methods to repair the cathedral’s East End stonework and restore its 600-year-old Great East Window. The size of a tennis court, the window is the largest expanse of medieval glass in Europe.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLAYorkMinster.

V&A Dundee

Opening in 2018, this brand new world-class design museum attracted 500,000 visitors in its first six months. Its Scottish Design Galleries feature 300 exhibits, and a 1908 tea room designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, unseen for 50 years, was restored and reconstructed.

Vote on the Lottery Good Causes website or using #NLADundee.

How to vote

To cast your vote, visit the Lottery Good Causes website or post using the dedicated project hashtags (above) on Twitter. Voting closes at midnight on Wednesday 21 August.

25 years of funding for heritage

Over the past 25 years, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has been the largest dedicated grant funder of the UK’s heritage. We’ve awarded £8bn to more than 44,000 projects across the UK.