Connecting Communities

Connecting Communities is an initiative aimed at empowering and strengthening community ties across the UK. Launched in partnership with The National Lottery, it aims to promote dialogue and support Parliamentarians working to nurture a more connected society – whether that's through combating loneliness and isolation, regenerating town centres, bridging the digital divide, improving transport links, supporting rural areas or boosting economic opportunities and employment at a local level

Articles

Tackling stereotypes this Rugby League World Cup

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18 Oct 2022 Culture

Tackling stereotypes this Rugby League World Cup

Now the Rugby League World Cup has kicked off, the sport is inspiring players to join National Lottery Funded projects such as the Learning Disability Super League, giving people with learning disabilities and autism the chance to play rugby league for the clubs they love.

18 Oct 2022 Culture

Scrum down, level-up

The Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) is underway, teams from around the globe have gathered in the birthplace of the sport, the majority in the heartlands of working-class communities of our northern towns and cities. Rugby League is coming home, and there is much to celebrate and marvel at, both on the pitch and beyond.

The miniature donkeys helping people living with dementia one visit at a time

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13 Oct 2022 Health

The miniature donkeys helping people living with dementia one visit at a time

Last month was World Alzheimer’s Month, a global opportunity to raise awareness, increase support and demystify dementia. Community support is often a vital lifeline for people with dementia and their families, and comes in an array of different, and sometimes unexpected, forms.

Creating hope through action this World Suicide Prevention Month

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21 Sep 2022 Health

Creating hope through action this World Suicide Prevention Month

This World Suicide Prevention Month, National Lottery funded projects such as In Charley’s Memory are creating hope through action for people suffering with mental health issues.

21 Sep 2022 Health

Levelling Up provides an opportunity for us to reassess action on suicide prevention

Suicide is preventable, not inevitable. World Suicide Prevention Day, 10th September, gives us a chance to reflect on the actions we can take to tackle it.

How The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is continuing to unite a community in Leeds

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23 Aug 2022 Environment

How The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is continuing to unite a community in Leeds

Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee played a major role in bringing us back together following the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to National Lottery players Good Causes from across the UK were able to apply for a share of £22 million of National Lottery funding committed to the Platinum Jubilee across community, arts, sport and environmental initiatives to mark the milestone. Hundreds of grants were made to organisations the length and breadth of the UK, including to Friends of Skelton Grange in Leeds, which was awarded funding for its ‘Queen of Spades’ Platinum Jubilee project.

We need to raise awareness of Honour Based Abuse to protect our communities

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20 Jul 2022 Communities

We need to raise awareness of Honour Based Abuse to protect our communities

Last Thursday (July 14th) was the Day of Memory for victims of Honour Based Abuse and National Lottery-funded charities have been calling for increased visibility, reporting and understanding of Honour-Based Abuse (HBA), to ensure survivors get the right support.

20 Jul 2022 Communities

Breaking the taboo around honour based abuse

Honour based abuse is nothing of the sort. It is rooted not in honour but in patriarchy and child abuse. July 14th was the Day of Memory for victims of Honour Based Abuse and Parliament and our communities need to take action.

Breaking the stigma of discussing rural mental health

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18 May 2022 Environment

Breaking the stigma of discussing rural mental health

Sam Stables always dreamed of being a farmer, but when he achieved his goal the pressures of making a living on the land almost destroyed him. Thanks to National Lottery funding, he is using his experience to help others in the community.

18 May 2022 Coronavirus

Rural mental health must be top of our agenda

Twenty-one years ago, I was a long way away from the green leather benches and procedure of the Commons chamber – instead, as a Veterinary Surgeon, I was surrounded by the destruction of the Foot and Mouth Crisis.

The Farm helping young people face their fears and thrive in their communities

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05 May 2022 Environment

The Farm helping young people face their fears and thrive in their communities

This National Gardening Week, we explore how outdoor spaces, like the Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, supported by The National Lottery, are helping nurture young people struggling with complex difficulties.

05 May 2022 Environment

Let's celebrate the benefits of gardening in the post-Covid world

As I write, this National Gardening Week, I am looking out at my garden awash with colour and the luxuriant growth of spring, and my spirits soar.

Strengthening communities with the power of theatre

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28 Mar 2022 Communities

Strengthening communities with the power of theatre

Theatre is much more than just a means of entertainment. The value the arts can bring to a community is undeniable, and on World Theatre Day, it's time for us to celebrate that fact.

28 Mar 2022 Communities

This World Theatre Day, let’s call on the government to support the arts

The pandemic was catastrophic for the Theatre - a sector which relies so particularly on personal interaction. My own stark realisation of what was about to happen was on the 16th of March 2020 when the doors to Tom Stoppard’s Leopastaldt were closed in my face as I arrived - lockdown had begun.

24 Feb 2022 Communities

LGBT+ History Month is a time to empower those in the present

During LGBT+ History Month, it is only natural to reflect on the advances we have made as a society.

Singing the praises of community groups this LGBTQ+ History Month

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24 Feb 2022 Education

Singing the praises of community groups this LGBTQ+ History Month

This LGBTQ+ history month, we look at how National Lottery funding has helped a community come together and find their voices.

11 Feb 2022 Education

We must celebrate the apprentices who are helping build our future

National Apprenticeships Week enables us to spotlight some of the remarkable work being done up and down the country, by apprentices, employers and educators, to equip people of all ages for the workplace of tomorrow.

Coventry shares the love after taking the helm as City of Culture

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09 Feb 2022 Communities

Coventry shares the love after taking the helm as City of Culture

When the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport named Coventry as 2021’s City of Culture, it proved it believed in the West Midlands city. And thanks to National Lottery funding, Coventry is now sharing all the amazing things about the city that they already knew and wanted others to see.

From an Olympian to a community campaigner: the heroes connecting communities across Wales

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16 Dec 2021 Communities

From an Olympian to a community campaigner: the heroes connecting communities across Wales

The National Lottery Awards are a chance to celebrate the inspirational work of ordinary people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding across the UK. More than 660,000 funding awards have now been made throughout the UK, an average of 235 lottery grants in every postcode district.

This year has seen two of the eight amazing winners come from Caerphilly in Wales. From winning a gold medal in Tokyo, to saving a hospital and transforming it into a community centre, they are representing and supporting their community.

The veterans supporting our communities this Remembrance Day

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11 Nov 2021 Communities

The veterans supporting our communities this Remembrance Day

As we mark Remembrance Day across the country today, we look at the unwavering dedication and service of the The National Lottery supported Veterans Support Service.

11 Nov 2021 Communities

Wear your Poppy with Pride: Why Remembrance is Sacrosanct

At a remarkable event on 5th June 2019, the world came to Portsmouth for the D Day 75 Commemorations. In what hardly seems two summers ago, this proved to a very special remembrance occasion and one that I will not forget.

The Olympic and Paralympic heroes inspiring communities

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24 Sep 2021 Health

The Olympic and Paralympic heroes inspiring communities

Since The National Lottery started to fund elite sport in 1997, National Lottery players have supported over 5,000 British Olympic and Paralympic athletes. This funding allows Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes to train full time and benefit from world class facilities, technology, coaching and support teams.

24 Sep 2021 Communities

We must channel our Tokyo 2020 celebrations into combating the daily issues disabled people face

There has been much debate around what a delayed Tokyo Games would look and feel like. The buzz from the Olympics certainly fed through to the Paralympics and both Games raised the spirits of the nation at a time when it was sorely needed.

This World Suicide Prevention Day, there are reasons to be hopeful – and we all have a part to play

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10 Sep 2021 Coronavirus

This World Suicide Prevention Day, there are reasons to be hopeful – and we all have a part to play

Jessica Gallier turned a personal tragedy into positive outcomes for other families when she founded The Martin Gallier Project with National Lottery funding – and now it’s one of many organisations creating hope through action this World Suicide Prevention Day.

About The National Lottery

To date, National Lottery players have helped raise over £46 billion for Good Cause projects, transforming lives across the UK. More than 670,000 individual awards have been made, from grassroots projects in local communities to iconic, world-class landmarks and events, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The National Lottery is currently operated by Camelot. Camelot is responsible for generating returns to National Lottery Good Causes, but plays no role in the allocation of funding. This is the specific responsibility of 12 National Lottery distributing bodies, each with specialist knowledge of their sector.

To find out more about applying for National Lottery funding, please click here.

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