Dream Fund 2017 winners share £2.5 Million
HRH Prince Charles and BBC's Planet Earth presenter Sir David Attenborough last night joined 370 guests at the annual People's Postcode Lottery Charity Gala held at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh.
The event was a celebration of the £66 Million awarded to charities in 2016, thanks to players of the charity lottery - £27 Million more than the total raised in 2015.
Three winners of the £2.5 Million Dream Fund - which offers organisations the opportunity to apply for financial support to bring their dream project to life - were also announced.
First up to receive their share of the prize pot was Story Starters, a joint project between national children's literacy charity Beanstalk, the Imagination Library (founded by country music legend Dolly Parton), and The University of Liverpool, which scooped a cheque for £1 Million. The project aims to ensure children start primary school able to read well, regardless of their background, and to give children the chance to write their own life story. The scheme will address the needs of children who are not getting the help and support they need at home to develop their language and reading skills.
Surviving to Thriving - a joint project between the British Red Cross, the Refugee Council, and UpRising - received a cheque for £1 Million. The dream behind Surviving to Thriving is that all asylum-seeking children in the UK are safe and cared for. The project will ensure a fair, well-informed, and child-friendly asylum care process, allowing them to have the ability to engage and aspire to a better future.
Money Mechanics, a project between MyBnk, a financial enterprise charity and The Royal Association for Deaf People, received a cheque for £532,000. Money Mechanics will equip deaf, blind, and partially-sighted young people aged 16-25 with the money management, employability, and life skills that they need to be financially confident. It will also help them to take control of their lives, to sustain work, to move into independent living, and to live life without limits.
Since 2005, players have raised an incredible £168 Million for charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally.