Cultural Leader Urges West Midlands to Get Behind £50 Million Lottery Bid

Brian Woods-Scawen, Chair of Culture West Midlands*, has urged people across the West Midlands to get behind a regional bid for £50 million – or risk losing out on region-wide benefits for years to come.

The Big Lottery People’s Millions contest (to be broadcast on ITV this week) has shortlisted just four projects across the country that are eligible for £50 million worth of funding and the West Midlands’ contender is the transformational plan for a Country Urban Park in the heart of the Black Country.

Commenting on the need for the West Midlands to get behind the vote, Woods-Scawen said:

“This isn’t just about people in the Black Country voting – this is about pulling together as a region with support from people from all over the West Midlands as well as the Black Country. Not only would a win dramatically improve people’s quality of life in one of the West Midlands’ most deprived areas, but the Black Country Urban Park will add another asset to our already rich cultural heritage. With the potential to attract visitors from all over the country and around the world, the West Midlands has a unique opportunity to create something truly spectacular that will improve lives and stimulate the regional economy for many years to come.

“And if we don’t all pull together and show our solidarity, then the West Midlands runs the risk of once again losing out to another part of the UK. That is why we really need people across the region to take five minutes of their time over the next few days to pick up the phone, vote online – or preferably both – before the closing date on 12 December”.

Each of the four shortlisted projects will be showcased in turn on ITV1 at 11pm on the evenings of 3 to 6 December with a round up programme on Friday 7 December. The Black Country programme goes out on Thursday 6 and the winning project will be announced on ITV on Wednesday 12 December.

HOW TO VOTE

Online: Until 12pm on Monday 10 December at www.thepeoples50million.org.uk

By phone: 9am on Friday 7 until 12pm Monday 12 December (telephone number to be announced on ITV).

Distinctively, the Black Country bid is about community involvement.  It's about where people live. It's about many thousands of young people, volunteers and communities working together to transform their lives and environment for themselves. And it won't all be over and completed in 12 - 18 months: this unparalleled community involvement will continue for the next 8 - 10 years - making transformational changes that will benefit many generations to come.

More Update Articles

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13/12/2007

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Faith Communities Support Black Country Lottery Bid
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Cultural Leader Urges West Midlands to Get Behind £50 Million Lottery Bid

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Liam Byrne MP Backs The Bid
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An End to Online Voting Problems
30/11/2007

Employee Takes Support to New Lengths
27/11/2007

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