National Lottery Raises €225 million Good Cause Funding in 2017
The National Lottery is delighted to announce that more than €225 million – in excess of €600,000 a day – funding Good Causes all over Ireland in 2017.
The money supports thousands of organisations and projects across the country in the areas of health, sport, youth, recreation, amenities, welfare, arts, culture, heritage and the Irish language.
National Lottery CEO, Dermot Griffin, thanked players for supporting Good Causes by playing National Lottery games.
He said: “This has been a very special year in which we celebrated our 30th anniversary and passed the magic milestone of raising €5 billion for Good Causes since we were set up in 1987. We are very proud of the role Good Causes funding has played in supporting projects and organisations in every parish in Ireland.”
“We are delighted today to confirm that our players have contributed in excess of €225 million towards Good Causes in 2017. This equates to more than €600,000 a day or almost €4.3 million every single week. “
Mr Griffin added: “We have used this year to remind our players that the National Lottery was set up in 1987 with the express purpose of raising money for Good Causes all over the country. Approximately 30 cent in every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back. Enjoying responsible play and supporting our games is helping to give back, and a huge thanks to all our players for their support.”
The thousands of projects Good Causes funding supports includes:
- The restoration of the ship cabin that polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, explored and passed away in. This is being restored by Sven Habermann of Conservation Letterfrack in Galway and will go on display in Athy Heritage Centre-Museum in early 2018.
- The Blackwater Sub Aqua Club based in Fermoy, Co. Cork, which has been involved in at least 200 search and recovery operations all over the country, often working in the most difficult of conditions. When called upon, members organise time off from their jobs to carry out this vital work. Key to their life-saving operations is the equipment they use. National Lottery Good Causes funding has helped the club to maintain and purchase new equipment and boats.
- Blue Raincoat Theatre Company in Sligo town which has a full-time staff of two and seven part-time and a national and international reputation that has grown and grown. As well as commercial shows the company tries to be more experimental, something it couldn’t do without National Lottery Good Causes funding, via the Arts Council.