Scaling New Heights!
Belfast Activity Centre instructors abseil down Belfast's Odyssey Pavilion… alongside Giant Lottery balls

West Belfast-born Michael Gibson and colleagues from Belfast Activity Centre will abseil down the Odyssey Pavilion among giant Lottery balls today, to highlight their thanks for Lottery players, who raise £25 million a week to support Good Causes like these across Northern Ireland and the UK.
Michael has been involved with Belfast Activity Centre for over half of his life: from the age of 14, when the varied activities kept him off the streets and out of trouble, to now where at the age of 30 he's an instructor, helping Belfast’s young people develop new skills and build confidence. Michael says, ‘I love what I do and I always wanted to work with young people in the outdoors. With limited activities around Belfast for young people to get involved with, the Centre’s facilities are invaluable in helping with their personal development and keeping them focussed.’
Northern Ireland has benefited from more than £38 million of Lottery money in the last year alone , with 28p from every Lottery pound going towards Good Causes. Giant Lottery balls have been created to show the people of Northern Ireland where this Lottery funding is going locally and how it benefits them. Each ball has been labelled with details of a local Lottery-funded project in the region.
Over the next week, the giant Lottery balls will appear at numerous familiar and not so familiar locations, funded by The National Lottery: from the high profile, such as The Linen Hall Library in Belfast and Londonderry’s Millennium Forum, to those perhaps less well known, including Oakfield Community Centre, Antrim and Bready Cricket Club in Maghermason.
Each of these projects, along with the thousands of other Lottery-funded projects in Northern Ireland, both big and small, are improving the lives of local people and the places they enjoy.
Throughout Northern Ireland, Lottery grants are given to both large and small projects spanning the arts, sports, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment, making a positive difference to communities across the region.
Joan Grenville from The National Lottery explains: “From the Ardmonagh Family Centre to The Down County Museum, we hope that these giant Lottery balls will help to bring the thousands of Good Causes projects in Northern Ireland to people’s attention. The aim is to bring the projects to life and to highlight just how many local initiatives and services are made possible thanks to the money raised by Lottery players.”
For information about where the balls are going to be and what’s going on in your area, visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
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For more information/photography please contact:
Gabi Downer on 0207 025 6519 or email Gabi.Downer@redconsultancy.com
Joan Grenville on 07808 138525 or email joan@grenvilleni.com
Notes to Editors:

1. Over 280,000 Lottery grants have been given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment since 1994
2. National Lottery players have raised £20 billion – that’s £25 million a week - since 1994 for Good Causes. 28p in every Lottery pound goes towards Good Causes. Over half of all Lottery grants are under £5,000, helping projects make a big difference
3. For information about the National Lottery Good Causes visit, www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk