Misguided Lottery Grants

Actually the Big Lottery Fund ran a programme called Heroes Return which paid for veterans to return to where they saw active service. They have also run the veterans reunited programme which reunited veterans from a number of conflicts so yes I would say that the lottery would pay for exactly that. Can’t see much political correctness there.

I used to manage a lottery funded health project working in a very deprived area and got quite annoyed at the usual rubbish spouted about where lottery money goes as it was usually based on a tabloid “fact” which didn’t bear scrutiny. If anyone is concerned about lottery funding check out the main funders web sites – there are an awful lot of good causes there.

The main aim of the lottery is to fund new projects and not to contribute to the running costs of existing charities – when would you stop?? Charities like Guide Dogs and the RNLI would qualify if they had discrete projects – part of that idea was when the lottery was set up it was not intended to take on existing charitable commitments.

interesting post and nice to have a different viewpoint on the matter. The Heroes Return program sounds like a great idea.

Let’s say that you wanted to take a group of these Veterans to visit their fallen comrades in Germany. To find peace for themselves in their declining years. Do you really think the Lottery Fund would be willing to help in such a case? Or would my hypothetical Community Arts group tick more of the collective boxes required to receive such funding?

Actually the Big Lottery Fund ran a programme called Heroes Return which paid for veterans to return to where they saw active service. They have also run the veterans reunited programme which reunited veterans from a number of conflicts so yes I would say that the lottery would pay for exactly that. Can’t see much political correctness there.

I used to manage a lottery funded health project working in a very deprived area and got quite annoyed at the usual rubbish spouted about where lottery money goes as it was usually based on a tabloid “fact” which didn’t bear scrutiny. If anyone is concerned about lottery funding check out the main funders web sites – there are an awful lot of good causes there.

The main aim of the lottery is to fund new projects and not to contribute to the running costs of existing charities – when would you stop?? Charities like Guide Dogs and the RNLI would qualify if they had discrete projects – part of that idea was when the lottery was set up it was not intended to take on existing charitable commitments.

Do you really think the Lottery Fund would be willing to help in such a case? Or would my hypothetical Community Arts group tick more of the collective boxes required to receive such funding?

kev35

Admittedly it realistically would be which ever group had the most skilled funding application writer. I really dont have the knowledge to say whether such a hypothetical application would be succesful. It all comes down to benefit, and benefitting as many people as possible. In cold frankness, your hypothetical arts group would benefit more people than sending one veteran to visit his comrades war graves. However, if you send the veteran with a coach load of school children to educate them about his comrade’s sacrifices or if you ask him to come back and deliver his experiences to a class- then it all changes. Thats the way, I think, it works.

all the best,

Steve

Steve.

Thanks (I think?) for the back handed compliment.

I think we’re actually getting to the nub now of what this thread is all about – the allocation of Lottery Funding. Personally, I can understand Pete’s rant regarding the allocation of funding to two of the richest organisations in this Country. Yes, undoubtedly there is a degree of amazingly supportive work carried out in the Community by elements of both the Anglican and Catholic Church. But what about Anglican edifices like the huge Church sat at the bottom of the street in which I live? Seats 200, belfry, attached Church Hall, nice grounds. Lovely place. Average Church attendance for the two Services on a Sunday? Ten in the morning and six for Evensong. The Church spent £300,000 on building a house within walking distance for the Vicar. This now houses one man, oh, and his dog! Why not demolish the Church and sell the land and then provide transport to another Church with better attendance and a greater sense of Community? I hope you can answer that one because the Church can’t.

Yes, as some have realised, my initial comment was somewhat tongue in cheek. However Steve, consider this. I know the work you are carrying out with Bomber Command Veterans and have nothing but respect for you as you undertake what can only be considered to be a monumental task. Let’s say that you wanted to take a group of these Veterans to visit their fallen comrades in Germany. To find peace for themselves in their declining years. Do you really think the Lottery Fund would be willing to help in such a case? Or would my hypothetical Community Arts group tick more of the collective boxes required to receive such funding?

I know it is now called Lotto but it started life as the NATIONAL lottery, I just think, in my silly, subjective and sentimental way that some causes are ignored at the cost of others just for the sake of political correctness.

Regards,

kev35

What, propping up a rich but failing church is of more benefit to the public than the organisations I have mentioned, what planet are you on sir, and yes, Lincoln is a lovely city, and I agree, the government should be supporting such neglected causes.
Fantastic countryside round Bradford though, have you ever been on the walk to try and find Heathcliffes farmhouse, try it sometime, it’s good for the soul.

Regards what is of more benefit…it is completely subjective don’t you think?

Yes, I have walked the moors around Haworth many a time – certainly beautifully.

I mean this with respect but I think you are missing the point of lottery funding completly. It wasn’t created to solely shore up one cause but to benefit many people – thats the deal you make when you buy a ticket. That the money will go to many projects…some you will like, some you won’t. If you don’t like it however – donate your money direct or abstain from the whole thing. No one forces you.

I guess you must like Lincoln then 🙂 :confused:

The role of lottery funding is to provide money for a wide variety of projects – not to secure the existance of bodies such as the RNLI, Guide Dogs, Air Ambulance. No doubt some lottery projects will not, as we have clearly seen, be to your liking but they are designed to benefit as many people as possible – not just you and your tastes and what you deem to be a ‘worthy’ cause.

The only thing, it would seem, that we agree on is the value of those aforementioned services – it would seem more appropriate for them to benefit from secured and generous government funding than sporadic lottery hand outs would it not?

What, propping up a rich but failing church is of more benefit to the public than the organisations I have mentioned, what planet are you on sir, and yes, Lincoln is a lovely city, and I agree, the government should be supporting such neglected causes.
Fantastic countryside round Bradford though, have you ever been on the walk to try and find Heathcliffes farmhouse, try it sometime, it’s good for the soul.

How about putting some Lottery money here .

The findings of our new report reveal that the UK is suffering from a “creativity deficit” amongst young women, as there is a dramatic decline in creative engagement by females after the age of 14.

An occasional rant is good for the soul…and probably blood pressure…

yes, god forbid that anyone turn that negativity into something productive and worthwhile which might address the problem they had in the first place 🙂

PC Brigade….:)

Nice comments Kev, looks like we ain’t popular, well, not with some amateur psychiatrist from Bradford, shiver, at any rate.

I guess you must like Lincoln then 🙂 :confused:

The role of lottery funding is to provide money for a wide variety of projects – not to secure the existance of bodies such as the RNLI, Guide Dogs, Air Ambulance. No doubt some lottery projects will not, as we have clearly seen, be to your liking but they are designed to benefit as many people as possible – not just you and your tastes and what you deem to be a ‘worthy’ cause.

The only thing, it would seem, that we agree on is the value of those aforementioned services – it would seem more appropriate for them to benefit from secured and generous government funding than sporadic lottery hand outs would it not?

Simple Kev, from reading your posts in the past – and from having not an inconsiderable amount of respect for them and yourself – I thought you could do better..

As my young American friends say…”Chill dude”.
As my old English friends say…I think he’s “havin a laugh”.

An occasional rant is good for the soul…and probably blood pressure…
and it helps the PC brigade feel so much better about themselves.

How would you spend the money ?

If it’s more deserving Norfolk causes we’re talking about then how about the air ambulance and in particular the RNLI, both charitable organisations, both of which save lives rather than ‘attempt’ to save ‘souls’.
I seem to recall that a few years ago the RNLI were so strapped for cash that the venerable organisation at Caister, responsible for so much in the past, was forced to fund itself and relies on local hand outs and a second hand inflatable.
I was also mortified to find out recently that guide dogs for the blind are similarly reliant on charitable hand outs, and yes, I’m paying for one to be trained for some poor soul, hopefully not one of Kevs one eyed Somalian lesbians either.

Nice comments Kev, looks like we ain’t popular, well, not with some amateur psychiatrist from Bradford, shiver, at any rate.

Steve.

I thought it just ticked a lot of rather obscure boxes, that’s all. Particularly interesting that you should take a pop at me for what may have been an ill considered comment rather than at Pete for having a go at two of this Country’s most prominent/misguided/ill considered/richest (delete as appropriate) Religions in the UK.

Regards,

kev35

Simple Kev, from reading your posts in the past – and from having not an inconsiderable amount of respect for them and yourself – I thought you could do better..

As for Pete’s post – I think his own words now and in the past are sufficient to paint a pretty good portrait of himself.

Steve.

I thought it just ticked a lot of rather obscure boxes, that’s all. Particularly interesting that you should take a pop at me for what may have been an ill considered comment rather than at Pete for having a go at two of this Country’s most prominent/misguided/ill considered/richest (delete as appropriate) Religions in the UK.

Regards,

kev35

Saw this on our local news last night, the Catholic Cathedral in Norwich is to receive a £1m pound lottery grant for an extension, church use of course, and to top that, the Anglican Cathedral, ok, one of the most beautiful buildings in the UK, is to receive £2.3m, for a bookshop and place for visiting choirs to stay.
Now I thought that these 2 organizations, particularly the Catholic Church, were just about the richest and biggest land owners in the country.
What a bloody disgrace to throw money at these people, hardly helping the needy and local community either is it.
What next, money to repair minarets I suppose, I dare’nt even think about that one.

Regardless of how much money the church has, i’d imagine that the upkeep of these buildings is an immense strain barely alleviated by the donations/admission charges that are generated. I’d say 1million is a drop in the ocean particularly when you consider that a lot of religious organisations put on all sorts of free community events that can be enjoyed by the religious and non religious community alike.

Kev –

Community Arts
one-eyed persons
syphilitics
lesbians
refugees
Somalians
dyslexias

May I respectfully enquire, do you dislike them purely as a collective or individually..or perhaps it is ill thought out and rather vague satire?

best wishes,

Steve

Very extreme ! might not tread that train of thought .

How would you spend the money ?

I’d give it to a Community Arts Foundation to be specifically used for the benefit of one-eyed, syphilitic lesbian refugees from Somalia with dyslexia.

I’m sure you’ll agree, a worthier cause would be hard to find.

Regards,

kev35

Saw this on our local news last night, the Catholic Cathedral in Norwich is to receive a £1m pound lottery grant for an extension, church use of course, and to top that, the Anglican Cathedral, ok, one of the most beautiful buildings in the UK, is to receive £2.3m, for a bookshop and place for visiting choirs to stay.
Now I thought that these 2 organizations, particularly the Catholic Church, were just about the richest and biggest land owners in the country.
What a bloody disgrace to throw money at these people, hardly helping the needy and local community either is it.
What next, money to repair minarets I suppose, I dare’nt even think about that one.

How would you spend the money ?

I don’t have minarets either, do I qualify for a lottery handout ??? 🙂

No, but you can have a shrubbery. 😎

I don’t have minarets either, do I qualify for a lottery handout ??? 🙂

What next, money to repair minarets I suppose, I dare’nt even think about that one.

Few Catholic or Anglican churches have minarets, Pete.

You can rest easy on that one. 😎