Expectations are building across the region as groups learned today that they have made it through to compete in the regional People’s Millions TV contest for Big Lottery Fund good cause money.

The groups can win awards of up to £80,000 each for their community project from the regional People’s Millions contest shortly being showcased on ITV Meridian South.

This is the third year that the BIG Lottery Fund has mounted the contest with ITV. Across the week of 26 to 30th November, good causes will go head-to-head on ITV Meridian South in a bid to secure public support by phone vote.

2007 marks the third year of the regional People’s Millions contest on regional news programmes across 18 ITV regions*. Each night two projects battle it out and at the end of the week, five projects in total will have won a slice of £7.8 million good cause cash. The best runner-up in each region that chalks up the next best number of phone votes, will be the fifth winner announced on Friday, November 30.

Over the last two years the programme has handed out £7.2 million to 139 good causes UK-wide and 350,000 people have voted for their favourite project.

On Monday, November 26, the Springboard Project’s Playroom Lift in Horsham will be battling it out against Simon Says Child Bereavement Support in New Milton.

The Playroom Lift project would install a lift between the ground floor and first floor of the organisation's centre, giving access to the playroom for parents and children with physical disabilities. The project will benefit around 900 children, a quarter of whom have a disability or mobility difficulty.

The Simon Says Child Bereavement Support project would extend the bereavement support services the group currently offer into the West Hampshire area. The project would benefit an estimated 1,600 children who have suffered bereavement.

And on Tuesday the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s, Making Some Quiet Time (MS Quiet Time) from West Parley, Dorset will be competing against Bembridge Friendship Circle, Minibus Replacement project.

Making Some Quiet Time (MS Quiet Time) project would involve the extension to their current building which would provide a quiet room and garden area for people with MS within the Osborne centre. This quiet centre would enable people with MS to have access to an area to read or rest away from the daily activities of the day centre.

The Minibus Replacement project would purchase a new minibus, fitted with facilities for the transport of people with disabilities, to replace the existing 20 year old bus. This would help the group to increase its volunteers with a driver friendly bus and extend their successful project to the wider community.

While Wednesday sees Highcliffe Residents' Association’s High Five project up against Angmering Parish Council’s Skateboard Park project.

The High Five project would create youth based facilities, resources and activities such as a play area, the installation of two youth shelters and the conversion of an existing building to create an internet facility for use by young people in the area.

The Skateboard Park project would use a piece of land to create a designated play area and skateboard park for the young people of the area. The grant grant would purchase and install a new skate facility benefitting an estimated 2,000 people.

On Thursday 29th November, The Pompey Study Centre’s Kick Start project will battle it out with Wecock Community Association’s, Wecock Gardeners.

The Kick Start project would refurbish and fully equip a new study suite for reluctant learners. The suite will provide a focus to education and employment training opportunities for young people aged 14-19 years old that have been unsuccessful in mainstream education.

The Wecock Gardeners project aims to create a number of gardens throughout Wecock for the local people to enjoy. The community would be involved in planting the gardens and would be encouraged to learn how to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. Approximately 300 volunteers will be recruited to work on the gardens.

Winners will be announced on the day following the vote.

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “In this third year of People’s Millions we’re offering more money than was awarded in 2005 and 2006 put together. I’m convinced this year’s awards will capture the hearts of even more UK viewers. I urge them to pick up the phone and vote for the projects they believe will make a long-lasting impact on their local communities.”

Michael Grade, Executive Chairman of ITV, said: “One of ITV’s greatest strengths is our ability as a broadcaster to connect with local people about community issues. This year our ground-breaking regional news programmes will again ask the public to decide which local community project most deserves Lottery support and with the biggest regional awards to date up for grabs, the People’s Millions is sure to have a lasting impact.”

Telephone voting numbers – as with previous years, ITV and the Big Lottery Fund will use a low cost non-premium rate telephone number. ITV and BIG do not make a profit from the voting telephone numbers.

The week following the regional Peoples’ Millions TV contest, the BIG Lottery Fund and ITV1 plan to screen on consecutive nights the People’s £50 million Lottery Giveaway in which four projects of national importance will compete for the public vote to win a massive £50 million award from the Fund.

A full list of shortlisted People's Millions projects throughout the UK can be found at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/pr_311007_uk_pm_shortlisted_projects_list

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of Hours contact: 07867 500 572
ITV Press Contact: Melissa Loughran on 0113 222 7117
Full details of Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Key People’s Millions date for forward planning diaries 26 - 30 November 2007: People's Millions competition televised on ITV

Notes to Editors

ITV broadcast regions in the People’s Millions:

ITV Anglia (East), ITV Anglia (West), ITV Border, ITV Central (East), ITV Central (West), ITV Granada, ITV London, ITV Meridian (South), ITV Meridian (South East), ITV Thames Valley, ITV Tyne Tees, ITV Wales, ITV West, ITV West Country, ITV Yorkshire, STV Central, STV NorthUTV

• 90 awards are up for grabs across the UK – four winners plus one bonus award in each of the 18 ITV regions.
• Since the launch of People’s Millions in 2005, the aim of the contest has been to fund projects that improve the quality of life of local communities through transforming the local environment. This year projects that provide opportunities or facilities for enjoying the local environment have also been added to the funding criteria.
• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• Telephone voting numbers – As with previous years, ITV and the Big Lottery Fund will use a low cost non-premium rate telephone number. ITV and BIG do not make a profit from the voting telephone numbers.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
• On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.