I’m delighted that so many individuals and organisations wanted to attend this event held in association with the People’s Postcode Lottery.
I know times have been very tough for charities and voluntary groups over the last few years and are likely to be difficult for the foreseeable future. There is a very real financial strain on good causes who are the lifeblood of our communities, and I know many of them will have felt this strain on their organisation.
In times like this, securing funding is even more essential than usual for charities and I’m keen to facilitate channelling more lottery funding to the North-east.
Players of PPL have now raised over £1½ billion for good causes – a massive figure that has made a world of difference to charities locally and across Scotland and the UK.
As a group, my colleagues and I have been pushing the UK Government to reform the legislation that is forcing charity lotteries to operate in a very bureaucratic way which, ultimately, reduces the amount of money available for good causes.
I am keen to run more such events in the future given the success of this one as there is clearly an appetite among community groups to engage and seek more details on funding applications. Watch this space.
