How Lotto gave Lowther a boost

Members of the Friends of Lowther Pavilion group, who successfully applied for Lottery funding to improve the venue. Pictured here are members of the Friends group when it was first launched.

At one time The Lowther Pavilion, in Lytham, suffered from problems with sound and lighting during performances.

But thanks to a significant amount of Lottery funding,the theatre now has state of the art equipment.

The cash was applied for by the Friends of Lowther Pavilion back in May 2010 – and since then, plays and productions at the theatre haven’t looked back.

The group’s membership secretary, Janet Radcliffe, explained just how important the £10,000 grant – a sum which the Friends matched –was to the theatre.

She said: “It’s tremendous because everybody is a volunteer and seemed to be targeting the same people all the time.

“When we got the funding we were absolutely thrilled because we never thought we’d get anything.

“We definitely benefitted from the fact the lottery had given us this £10,000 grant.”

The new Lotto draw was launched two weeks ago and has bigger jackpots, a brand new raffle and the chance to win £25 by matching three numbers.

Tickets cost £2 and it is hoped the new format will benefit even more schools and groups by handing out thousands of pounds in funding to them.

Since the new format was announced, The Gazette has detailed how schools and community groups across the Fylde coast.

Earlier this month Miss Blackpool, Kendall Rae Knight, was at Woodlands School in the town, which supports people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, and is a beneficiary of National Lottery funding.

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