IF YOU play the National Lottery, your £2 a week has helped people and projects near you.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds of lottery funding was awarded to Uxbridge organisations, groups and projects last year.

About £880,500 was handed out through 24 grants to arts, sport, heritage and community groups, supporting some of Hillingdon’s most vulnerable people.

The Hillingdon Association of Voluntary Services received £155,268 for a two-year project which aims to bring together a group of voluntary sector agencies to provide more free legal advice to those who cannot afford it.

The Hillingdon branch of mental health charity, Mind, received £9,800 to pay for the training of volunteers who will help raise awareness of healthy eating and lifestyle to people affected by mental health.

West Drayton Explorers Football Club, a Chartered Standard Development club and a partner club of Brentford FC, received £9,700 to pay for other sporting activities for young people.

These projects and any other organisations that received Lottery funding can also enter the National Lottery Awards 2014, where a project can be put forward to win money.

“National Lottery players raise £33m every week for a wide range of projects, which make a life-changing difference to local communities,” said singer and presenter John Barrowman, who hosted last year’s awards.

“The awards are a great way of celebrating their work and the unsung heroes helping people with National Lottery funding.

“Everyone in Uxbridge who plays the National Lottery should be proud of the difference their money is making in the local community. If you know of a Lottery-funded organisation that deserves to be nominated, we want to hear from you.”

The National Lottery Awards has seven categories – environment, arts, health, heritage, sport, education and voluntary/charity. The winners will receive an extra £2,000.

The event will be broadcast on BBC One later this year.

Entries must be received by midnight on March 12, visit www.nationallottery
awards.org.uk to find out more or call 020 7293 3599.

? Honouring our unsung heroes: Local Heroes Awards are back – see page 28 for details