National Lottery praised after Mansfield and Ashfield donations

Mansfield MP Coun Ben Bradley and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson hailed the National Lottery for its work supporting local charities and community groups.

Groups to have benefitted so far include Mansfield-based Nottinghamshire Independent Domestic Abuse Service, which has been awarded £358,213 over three years to continue to deliver and develop its family support project reducing harm and trauma caused by domestic abuse to families in Mansfield and Ashfield.

And Kirkby-based Leon’s Legacy has been awarded £640 to help its work in providing defibrillators that the public can access outside of school hours.

The charity, set up by Holly Younger three years ago, after her dad Leon Smith, a dinner man at Annesley Primary School, died in January 2019, aged just 52 when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Mr Anderson said: “It is great to see community groups benefitting from National Lottery funding in. These groups are inspirational in the great work and support they provide to local people and their community, helping to bring people together once again and build community spirit.

“I encourage more groups to apply.”

Coun Bradley, also Nottinghamshire Council leader, said: “I’m delighted Mansfield has been awarded £863,643 since March. The funding goes a long way and makes a real difference to the community. These groups are inspirational in the great work and support they provide to local people and their community, helping to bring people together once again and build community spirit.”

The parliamentarians have also urged more groups to apply for National Lottery funding, saying it could be a lifeline as local people and communities rebuild and recover from the pandemic – information about how to apply for funding can be found at tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

John Mothersole, Lottery Community Fund England funding committee chairman, said: “I am delighted to announce we have awarded almost £100 million across England in the past three months, helping address issues at the heart of communities, including employability, mental health, supporting young people and building connections to tackle loneliness.”

“Our funding is being used by more than 3,000 charities and community groups to unleash their potential and make a positive difference to people’s lives across the country.”