​Big Lottery will change its name next year

Big Lottery Fund has announced that it will be change its name in the new year.

The UK’s largest community funder, which distributes 40% of the good cause money raised by National Lottery players, will from 30 January be called The National Lottery Community Fund.

Last year alone the Big Lottery Fund gave out over half a billion pounds (£508.5 million) of National Lottery funding to community projects across the UK.

Over 11,000 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life.

Changing the name to The National Lottery Community Fund makes it clearer what the organisation is and does and will support the long-term health of The National Lottery.

The group’s chief executive Dawn Austwick said that aligning the fund’s name will help players understand the difference they make when they buy a ticket, underlining ambitions to see returns to good causes grow.

She said: “Groups and charities use our funding, be it £500 or £500,000, to bring people together, make good things happen and help their communities to thrive. We want to make sure that as many people as possible understand who we are, what we do, and how National Lottery funding could help them make a difference in their community.

“That’s why we’re looking forward to starting 2019 – when we will also be celebrating The National Lottery’s 25th Birthday – as The National Lottery Community Fund.”