25 years ago today, the National Lottery held their first draw. The first winner received £18 million pounds. With over a quarter of ticket prices going toward charities, the National Lottery has now donated north of £26 billion pounds to over 500,000 projects all over the UK.
https://youtu.be/aEnfq1Ns35A
At Katherine Low Settlement we may not have had the same impact and reach in Battersea without funding from the National Lottery. Our Love to Learn programme was funded for several years, which empowers the education of refugees and helps them transition into life in the UK. Our most recent funding from the National Lottery was for our ESOL project (English for Speakers of Other Languages). This funding has enabled us to offer free English, Maths and Early Years courses to the local people who need them most. This can have a profound impact in people’s lives when they are trying to adapt to British culture and find work. We are currently teaching 120 students, and are increasing our reach each year.
What has been particularly important about our relationship with the National Lottery is that they understand the value of multi-year funding. By providing us with long-term funding, this means we can plan ahead in order to improve and grow our services. It also gives us a sense of security and reassurance that filters down from the staff to the students and volunteers.
That is why today we would like to wish the National Lottery a happy 25th birthday and thank them for their contributions to our charity, and to Battersea as a result.
If you would like to make a regular donation to Katherine Low Settlement, you can by visiting www.klsettlement.org.uk/donate