Battle Lines Drawn To Win People’s Millions Vote in ITV Central
Eight groups in the ITV Central region are today preparing to lock horns to win a share of £250,000 in Big Lottery Fund good cause money in The People’s Millions TV contest.

Five groups in the region will win awards of up to £50,000 each for their community project from The People’s Millions contest, soon to be showcased on ITV Central’s evening regional news.

This is the fifth year that the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and ITV have given the public the chance to vote on where the Lottery good cause cash goes in their region. Projects up for the vote will enhance local facilities, help people to enjoy their local area and enable local people to get more involved in their community. 

The TV contest will see two projects go head-to-head each night in the week of 23 to 27 November. The eight schemes will make their case for the public’s vote to win Lottery funding on ITV Central regional news programme with the winners being decided in a phone vote.

At the end of the week five projects will have won a slice of £250,000 of Lottery good cause cash. The best runner-up with the most phone votes will win a grant to be the final winner, announced on Friday 27 November.

This year across the UK £3.5 million will be awarded by the public through the People’s Millions. Over the last four years the programme has handed out £18.1 million to 318 good causes across the UK with more than 1.6 million people voting for their favourite project.

On Monday, November 23, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s Queen Elizabeth Park Play Area project in Pool Dam will be battling it out against Wednesbury 2000 Ltd’s Impact Youth Theatre project in Wednesbury.

The Queen Elizabeth Park Play Area project will develop a castle themed children's play area and give a much-needed facelift to a run-down site in Queen Elizabeth Park. Children from local schools and the community will be involved in the design of the play area and create artworks that will tell the story of the castle and the development of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The Impact Youth Theatre project will renovate a hall in a centrally located historical building in Wednesbury. The hall will be used as a theatre space and community hub for local young people. Arts practitioners will involve young people in art, music, drama and dance, and will build their confidence, social skills, self-esteem, creativity and self-discipline.

And on Tuesday the Quinbourne Community Asscoaition’s Forward ’09 project in Quinton and Harborne will be competing against the Community Learning Group’s Young Mums Creative and Healthy Communities project in Hanley and Meir.

The Forward ’09 project will upgrade Bennett Hall, which was built in the 1950s, to adjoin it to the existing multi-room community centre that is used by Quinborne Community Association. A youth officer will also be employed to develop new arts and social activities for people from the Harborne and Quinton communities, particularly young people.

The Young Mum’s Creative and Healthy Communities project will support and train young parents not currently in education, employment or training. They will take part in learning sessions on healthy eating, personal development, confidence building, literacy and numeracy, as well as art workshops.

Wednesday 25 November sees The Old Post Regeneration Association Ltd’s CAR Project Community Against Recession in Swadlincote up against Hilton Parent Teacher Association’s Hilton Sensory Garden project in Hilton.

The CAR Project Community Against Recession, based in the Old Post Centre, will help people better cope with the impact of the recession and prevent social exclusion. It will offer training for people who have been made redundant, a weekly 'Supper Club' for isolated older people, money management sessions for people facing financial difficulties, and a youth cafe, homework club and relationship workshops for young people.
The Hilton Sensory Garden project will create a sensory garden providing a wildlife haven and an environment to enhance outdoor learning opportunities for the school and voluntary and community groups. Those who will benefit include school pupils and members of local Scouts, Guides, Cubs, Brownies and other local organisations. The new garden will form an integral part of the community's open space.

On Thursday, the Small Woods Association’s Woods for Wellbeing in Telford project will battle it out with the Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team’s SSART team control van project.

The Woods for Wellbeing in Telford project will improve urban woodland in Telford, with improved pathways, easier access and signage boards. It will involve the wider community in conservation volunteering and work that will enhance facilities. The project aims stop the deteriation of the woodland and regain the site's wildlife designation.

The SSART team control van project will allow this voluntary organisation to purchase a replacement control vehicle to increase its capacity for search and rescue assignments. The new vehicle will have mapping facilities, ample lighting, communications, a built in generator and a side awning that will allow it to link into emergency services control vehicles.

Telephone voting lines* will open at 9am on the day the projects are due to appear on ITV and winners will be announced the following day.

John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the West Midlands, said: “Now in its fifth year, The People’s Millions contest promises to be as exciting as ever, giving groups the chance to win up to £50,000 in Lottery funding for projects that make a real difference to the local community. Voters in the ITV Central region will have some tough choices to make in deciding which of the excellent projects going head to head will get their support.”

John Cresswell, Chief Operating Officer, ITV plc, said: "I am delighted that ITV is continuing its partnership with the Big Lottery Fund on the popular People’s Millions programme. Many local communities across the UK have benefited from millions of pounds in Lottery good cause cash and so much of this has been down to our local viewers supporting their local projects. This year we look forward to helping community groups share in a total of up to £3.5 million."