Big Lottery Fund Announce £5 million Donation To Philippines Typhoon Relief
Last Updated: Friday 21st March 2014, 17:00
The largest of the twelve charitable bodies responsible for apportioning National Lottery Good Causes funds have announced they will be donating £5 million to UK-based charities working in the Philippines following the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan.
The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), which was established in 2004 to help improve communities and the lives of people in the most need, made the announcement just days after more than 150,000 people in the UK petitioned for the €15 / £12 million EuroMillions jackpot – which wasn’t won in last Tuesday night’s draw – to be donated to the stricken country.
Lottery organisers in the UK were unable to donate the jackpot directly as EuroMillions funds belong to all of the nine European countries which take part. A UK Lotto spokesperson confirmed that the funds “were not theirs to give” although they “fully understood the sentiment behind the petition”. Fortunately BIG, which receives around 40% of Good Causes funding, was able to step in.
“Like millions across the country I was shocked by the scenes of devastation and despair broadcast on our screens in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan,” commented BIG Chairman Peter Ainsworth. “The Big Lottery Fund’s mission is to support people and communities most in need and it is therefore important that we are able to respond in this way, complementing and adding value to others already working to support the rebuilding of communities and infrastructure in the Philippines.”
BIG will be liaising with the Disasters Emergency Committee and UK international development membership body Bond in order to distribute the funds to a range of UK-based charities working in the disaster area.
“I want us to work with those UK bodies on the ground in the Philippines to establish how best we enable them to help communities to rebuild their lives,” Ainsworth continued. “Once we are clear what is needed, we will make sure that our funds flow to those projects which will have the most impact.”
National-Lottery.com applauds this gesture and the players of the UK Lotto and EuroMillions who have made this generous donation possible.
