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

Meet Eilidh: the Olympic hopeful inspiring the next generation of women in sport

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23 Aug 2021 Health

Meet Eilidh: the Olympic hopeful inspiring the next generation of women in sport

Thanks to National Lottery players, £36 million a week goes to a wide range of good causes including supporting our elite athletes, many of who go on to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

23 Aug 2021 Environment

We must level-up to tackle the "dream deficit" in women's sport

As most of us emerged bleary eyed from 18 months of perpetual lockdowns, we saw astonishing success at the Tokyo Olympics. While many of us have struggled to keep up our exercise regime, British athletes were working hard (from home!) to achieve 65 medals and more success looks likely in the Paralympics.

World Youth Skills Day: Paying tribute to the resilience and creativity of youth through the pandemic

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15 Jul 2021 Coronavirus

World Youth Skills Day: Paying tribute to the resilience and creativity of youth through the pandemic

This World Youth Skills Day, how are National Lottery-funded charities giving disadvantaged young people affected by the pandemic a much needed boost?

15 Jul 2021 Coronavirus

This World Youth Skills Day, we must reaffirm our commitment to deliver the skills young people need for employment

Earlier this summer at a Sotheby’s auction, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, sold its original source code for $5.4 million.

This World Refugee Day, one choir’s efforts should be music to all our ears

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21 Jun 2021 Education

This World Refugee Day, one choir’s efforts should be music to all our ears

Members of the Citizens of the World Choir come from all over the globe, but thanks to National Lottery funding and support from across the political spectrum, they’re all singing from the same hymn sheet now.

The Big Screen is Back! Supporting the film industry through tough times

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17 Jun 2021 Coronavirus

The Big Screen is Back! Supporting the film industry through tough times

After all the time we have spent in front of our televisions, we’re finally able to get back to experiencing films how they should be: on the big screen.

17 Jun 2021 Communities

Mission: Possible? Protecting the film industry in the wake of the pandemic

Almost like a scene from a movie, I was sat in my Parliamentary office last year when I got a message from a producer of the Mission Impossible movies: ‘We have a problem – can you help?’.

As the lockdown begins to lift, find your happy place

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03 Jun 2021 Education

As the lockdown begins to lift, find your happy place

Nurtured by nature: how green spaces can provide a welcome sanctuary

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11 May 2021 Environment

Nurtured by nature: how green spaces can provide a welcome sanctuary

When the first lockdown exacerbated Wanda Mayer’s anxiety and caused her to have a series of panic attacks, she knew exactly where to go: the allotment she calls her ‘haven’. Thanks to National Lottery Funding, projects have been bringing communities together, and supporting mental health.

11 May 2021 Environment

We can prevent and tackle mental-ill health through green social prescribing

There is no doubt the past year has been tough for many of us, but together we have shown great resilience in the face of uncertainty. This mental health awareness week, the government is building on our commitment to transform mental health services.

04 May 2021 Health

Maternal mental health matters: how can we ensure adequate action is taken?

For many women lockdown has exacerbated some of the most difficult aspects of motherhood.

How one mother channelled devastating loss into supporting others

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04 May 2021 Health

How one mother channelled devastating loss into supporting others

It is 10 years since Rhian Mannings experienced the devastating loss of her husband and baby within the space of 5 days. Thanks to National Lottery funding, she has created a support network for bereaved parents and children.

21 Apr 2021 Coronavirus

Young minds matter: early intervention is paramount for preserving mental health

If we are to prevent a rise in children’s mental health problems we need to recognise the value of much earlier intervention and the folly of cuts in early years spending.

The unusual pets helping children through lockdown

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21 Apr 2021 Education

The unusual pets helping children through lockdown

At first glance Georgie the bearded dragon isn’t as cuddly as a rabbit or a hamster. But alongside his unusual friends, he's proved a lifeline for children struggling through lockdown.

'Living in Fear' - how one woman's lockdown experience inspired an award-winning film

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07 Apr 2021 Coronavirus

"Living in Fear" - how one woman's lockdown experience inspired an award-winning film

The first coronavirus lockdown was a challenging experience for most people. But for Steph Castelete-Tyrrell, a 26-year-old from Northampton who has muscular dystrophy, its impact was so profound it inspired her to make an award-winning film.

07 Apr 2021 Coronavirus

Mental health support is vital for individuals with muscle-wasting conditions

The last long year of Covid restrictions and logjams in health care for non-Covid cases has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and magnified them.

A bakery creating opportunities for women from disadvantaged backgrounds

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08 Mar 2021 Communities

A bakery creating opportunities for women from disadvantaged backgrounds

Luminary Bakery, an all-female project partially funded by The National Lottery, is helping women from disadvantaged backgrounds to get back into work.

08 Mar 2021 Coronavirus

This International Women's Day, it’s time to support those who have lost loved ones

As I look back, 2020 was an unprecedented, unpredictable and unforgettable year. The Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than two million people and destroyed economies all over the world. It has spared no country.

Supporting families with healthy food through lockdown

Partner content

04 Mar 2021 Communities

Supporting families with healthy food through lockdown

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery, the Friendly Food Club has helped thousands of struggling families in Dorset learn to cook affordable, nutritious meals and make new friends.

04 Mar 2021 Health

Obesity is a national emergency; to level up society, it must be addressed

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the direct link between obesity-related ill-health and vulnerability to the worst effects of the virus

01 Mar 2021 Health

The Government’s obesity strategy is putting those with eating disorders at risk

This Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we must recognise that there is not a catch-all strategy to addressing obesity in the UK.

Increased funding has provided an essential lifeline for those with eating disorders during the pandemic

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01 Mar 2021 Health

Increased funding has provided an essential lifeline for those with eating disorders during the pandemic

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery, this Eating Disorder Awareness Week Beat can continue to support those in need.

17 Feb 2021 Coronavirus

It is kindness that underpins community across the UK

As we move forward, let's create a fairer society with kindness and equality at its core.

On a mission: Supporting community food banks and cutting waste

Partner content

17 Feb 2021 Coronavirus

On a mission: Supporting community food banks and cutting waste

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery, Dom’s Food Mission is collecting hundreds of tonnes of food that would have been thrown away, enabling them to feed thousands of children a month.

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.

The National Lottery creates over nine million winners a week across its range of games - and, on average, seven new millionaires. More than 6,500 millionaires or multi-millionaires have been created since launch in 1994.

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