One week left to vote for Welsh Fab Four

Time is running out for you to cast your vote to help a quartet of Welsh projects win the coveted ‘UK Project of the Year’ trophy at the 2023 National Lottery Awards.

The annual National Lottery Awards celebrate the people and projects across the UK who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.

Since voting for The National Lottery Project of the Year category opened on 11th September, thousands of votes have been cast from across the UK for the 17 finalists to help decide this year’s winner.

But with the 9th October deadline for voting fast approaching, the quartet of Welsh projects are appealing for your support to help them get over the line.

Flying the flag for Wales in the Arts, Culture and Film category is Hear We Are – a Deaf-led project exploring the perspectives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, particularly those working in or excluded from the creative sector. Since the project began in February 2021, Hear We Are has worked to establish a network of safe spaces for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people across Wales to meet, share experiences and test out creative ideas. Run through Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, Hear We Are helps to nurture and develop talent, encouraging a more accessible arts sector for all whilst finding solutions to issues raised by participants.

Representing Wales in the Community and Charity category is Get The Boys A Lift (GTBAL), a not-for-profit organisation launched by a group of friends in Pembrokeshire who were keen to encourage discussions about mental health. The project has gone from strength to strength since 2016, now offering a mix of in-person and online counselling services to anyone over 17. The team run a clothing and coffee shop in Haverfordwest called ‘Our Place’, offering a unique café experience where visitors can chat to counsellors and make new friends. The project’s drop-in service has provided around 500 people with free and easy support and its online counselling service, launched during the pandemic, also gives clients the option to have sessions remotely.

Hoping to make a big splash in the Heritage category this year is Project SIARC (Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities). The marine environment along the Welsh coast is teeming with life and Project SIARC is doing all it can to make things even better. The programme, which launched in 2022, brings together local communities, fishers, researchers, and government to safeguard sharks, skates, and rays, whilst cultivating a new appreciation and opening-up access to the underwater environment in Wales. The project is delivered in partnership by ZSL (Zoological Society of London), Natural Resources Wales, Bangor University, Blue Abacus, Minorities in Shark Sciences, North Wales Wildlife Trust, Shark Trust, Swansea University, and several collaborative partners.

Looking to score a winner in the Sports category is Wales’s first LGBTQ+ football club, Cardiff Dragons FC. Founded in 2008, the club has emerged as a shining example of an organisation where inclusion and acceptance take centre stage; it has led the way in providing opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to take part in sport, creating a warm and welcoming environment and a community that’s inclusive of all identities. With a goal of providing football for all, Cardiff Dragons FC, which is supported with National Lottery funding from Sport Wales, is home to three teams.

At the end of the voting window, the finalist with the most votes will be crowned the National Lottery’s 2023 Project of the Year.

The winning project will receive a £5,000 cash prize, along with an iconic National Lottery trophy to commemorate the achievement.

Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, said: “We’re so excited to have such an incredible list of contenders for the Project of the Year category at this year’s National Lottery Awards.

“It’s always an incredibly competitive category and this year is no different.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million goes to good causes across the country every week, making vital projects like these possible.

“So don’t forget to make your voice heard by voting for your Project of the Year in the National Lottery Awards – with your help, any of these projects could be a winner.”

To vote for any of these projects please go to lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards . Or simply use their specific hashtag on X (formerly known as Twitter) #NLAHearWeAre, #NLAGTBAL, #NLASIARC and #NLADragons . Voting closes at 12pm on 9th October.     