A series of iconic British moments have been immortalised in a special exhibition to celebrate The National Lottery’s 30th birthday and impact of £50bn in Good Causes funding.
Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million is raised every week for Good Causes, funding over 700,000 projects across community, heritage, sport and the arts in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In addition to changing the face of communities throughout the nation, more than 7,400 millionaires have been created and over £95 billion paid out in prizes since the launch of The National Lottery in 1994.
To mark the 30-year anniversary, 30 Game Changing Moments have been immortalised in an exhibition by photographer Thomas Duke – unveiled at The National Portrait Gallery in London and online today.
Duke is known for his project @steppingthroughfilm where iconic photographs are rephotographed within the context of their original location. He travelled the length and breadth of the UK to recreate the moments which recognise our success in sport, arts and film, preserving natural and built heritage and bringing communities together. Actors Michael Sheen and Vicky McClure, Olympian Jess Ennis and Lioness Chloe Kelly, are among several famous faces featured in the exhibition.
Andria Vidler, CEO of Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery said: “Today marks a remarkable milestone as National Lottery players have now raised £50 billion for Good Causes across the UK.
"Over 30 years, this hasn’t just been about numbers – it's been about countless lives changed and communities transformed, while continuing to create millionaires nationwide. As we look forward, our plans to transform The National Lottery are underway and we're committed to raising even more for these vital Good Causes.”
Three decades of TNL funding has created an unparalleled legacy: powering athletic excellence, protecting cultural treasures, advancing artistic achievement and strengthening communities nationwide.
Since funding began in 1994, UK athletes have won more than 1,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals. The National Lottery has funded the making of more than 600 films which have won an incredible 551 awards, including 16 Oscars, 128 BAFTAs and 34 Cannes awards. Popular attractions and notable landmarks across the UK such as the Eden Project, the Giant’s Causeway, the Kelpies, the Angel of the North and Wembley have all received support from The National Lottery.
Running alongside these major initiatives are the hundreds of thousands of grants – usually for £10,000 or less – which help small projects to make an amazing difference in their areas.
The 30 Game Changing Moments, made possible by National Lottery funding, featured in the exhibition are:
• 1994: Sir John Major launches The National Lottery and buys a ticket at a London newsagent
• 1997: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre opens in London
• 1998: Sir Antony Gormley’s ‘Angel of The North’ is unveiled near Gateshead
• 2001: The Eden Project opens in Cornwall
• 2002: The Isle of Gigha is bought by its community
• 2002: Bend It Like Beckham is released
• 2005: Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson wins two gold medals at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester
• 2006: This is England is released
• 2007: Dame Darcey Bussell’s has her final curtain call at the Royal Opera House
• 2010: The King’s Speech is released
• 2011: Michael Sheen performs The Passion in Port Talbot
• 2012: The world’s first parkrun on a beach takes place in Portrush
• 2012: Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Street Parties take place around the nation (including Walton Road, Bristol, pictured) and around the world
• 2012: The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre is opened by First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
• 2012: Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill wins gold in the Heptathlon at the London Olympics on ‘Super Saturday’
• 2013: Derry-Londonderry becomes the UK’s first City of Culture
• 2013: The Mary Rose Museum opens in Portsmouth
• 2014: The Kelpies by Sculptor Andy Scott are unveiled in Falkirk
• 2014: Neil Fachie wins gold in the 1000m Time Trial B2 Tandem with his pilot Craig MacLean at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
• 2014: Bletchley Park reopens after a major restoration
• 2015: Richard III is reinterned in Leicester Cathedral
• 2016: Paapa Essiedu plays Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
• 2018: Golden Eagles are reintroduced in Dumfries, Galloway and the Scottish Borders
• 2018: Geraint Thomas wins the Tour De France and is cheered by fans at a Homecoming Victory Parade in Cardiff
• 2018: The Remembrance art installation ‘Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window’ is displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London
• 2022: Chloe Kelly celebrates scoring the winning goal at the 2022 Euros Final at Wembley
• 2023: Flying Scotsman’s centenary celebrations are launched in Edinburgh
• 2023: Liverpool hosts the Eurovision Song Contest
• 2024: Fern the Diplodocus is unveiled at The Natural History Museum
• 2024: Keely Hodgkinson wins gold in the women’s 800 meters at the Paris Olympics and celebrates her victory at The French Flair Bar
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