The groups are based across Scotland and are looking to win a £5,000 cash prize.
Four charities based in Scotland are appealing for public support in order to be crowned Project of the Year in the 2022 National Lottery Awards.
Glasgow charity, Amma Birth Companions; Boots & Beards, a group opening-up access to the great outdoors for under-represented communities; Sensatronic Lab by Sense Scotland, a project helping people with additional support needs; and conservation charity, South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, have reached the public voting stage.
The National Lottery Awards celebrate the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding and attracted more than 1,300 entries this year.
The Scottish quartet are among 17 shortlisted finalists from across the UK, who will compete in a four-week public vote to be named The National Lottery Project of the Year.
Winners will receive a £5,000 cash prize for their project and an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy.
Amma Birth Companions is a Glasgow-wide charity that provides care, information and advocacy to those who face barriers to support during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.
Their services include birth and postnatal companionship, peer support and education. The charity aim to ensure that that no one should have to give birth and care for a newborn baby alone.
Based on Glasgow’s southside, Boots & Beards, was founded in 2016 and has spent the past six years making sure under-represented communities get access to the great outdoors and, in doing so, improving their physical and mental health.
Their ambition is that everyone and anyone, no matter race, religion or ability, feels comfortable in accessing and venturing out onto the hills.
Sensatronic Lab is a unique project developed and run by the charity Sense Scotland to enable people with additional support needs to make digital art and music. It gives them vital, tailored opportunities to express themselves, participate in activities with others, and develop their own ideas and ways of communicating them. Instruments and activities are individually tailored to match each individual’s sensory needs and respond to their ability to acquire meaning from sound and sensory environments.
Golden eagles are soaring across southern skies again thanks to a groundbreaking conservation project. Using pioneering techniques, the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project has tripled the local population of this iconic bird of prey to the highest number recorded in the area for three centuries.
Over 15,000 community volunteers and project participants have supported the project through a wide range of tasks and initiatives.
Jonathan Tuchner, from The National Lottery, said: “We are delighted to have received these outstanding nominations highlighting the excellent work that National Lottery-funded projects are doing across Scotland.
“In these challenging times, it is heartening to see so many people and projects dedicating their time and energy into giving something back to their communities.
"It’s thanks to National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes, that brilliant projects like these are able to do their incredible work. With the support of the public, they could be named National Lottery Project of the Year 2022.”
