Grab Up To £50,000 To Boost Your Good Cause

Cheshire East is calling on community groups, schools and voluntary bodies to grab the chance to appear on TV and win a slice of £250,000 to boost their causes.

The People’s Millions 2010 competition is open to projects in the ITV Granada region to put in bids to receive up to £50,000 each from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).

It is the sixth year of The People’s Millions competition, which helps communities improve facilities or get more enjoyment from their local area.

Five bumper Big Lottery Fund grants are on offer to community projects in the ITV Granada region, with a total of £250,000 to be awarded.

The People’s Millions, a partnership between BIG and ITV, gives the public the chance to vote on which local projects should receive lottery good-cause funding.

Shortlisted groups will get the chance to make a short film to showcase their cause on local ITV evening news – to persuade the public why they should get the cash. It will then be up to the public to vote to decide which groups win funding.

To date the contest has awarded more than £1.2m in the ITV Granada region, funding a wide range of community projects from sports activities for young people in the school holidays to schemes to breathe new life into outdoor spaces or restore much-loved community venues.

Councillor Brian Silvester, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council and Cabinet member with responsibility for safer and stronger communities, said: “The Big Lottery Fund and ITV are calling on individuals and groups to come forward with their brilliant ideas to improve their local communities.

“The availability of funding, in general, is getting tighter and that is all the more reason why we in Cheshire East should try to grasp every chance of external funding that arises.”

This year a new streamlined online entry form means that applying to the contest will be even simpler. Entry forms are available online at www.peoplesmillions.org.uk

Entries need to be returned to the Big Lottery Fund by noon on Friday, May 14, 2010. The shortlist will be drawn up in October, with the People’s Millions competition being televised on ITV in November.



Keri Eldridge, Granada's People's Millions Presenter, said: “It’s wonderful to see how local communities from all walks of life have been enhanced with much-needed money from the programme in previous years and I’m excited that we’re set to do it all again.”

People can apply for between £20,000 and £50,000. You can enter if you are part of a community or voluntary group or if you are a school or local authority.

To find out more about whether your organisation qualifies to enter, ring 08450 101112 or visit www.peoplesmillions.org.uk

Textphone for those with a hearing impairment is 0845 602 1659.