National Lottery pledges to fund tributes to Manchester Arena victims

NATIONAL LOTTERY PLEDGES TO FUND TRIBUTES TO MANCHESTER ARENA VICTIMS

A grant from the National Lottery has been pledged to help preserve thousands of tributes left to victims of the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in the UK.Multiple thousands of tributes were left by members of the public to remember those killed or injured in the attack in 2017, and now thanks to a National Lottery grant, they will be preserved for the future. With the involvement of Manchester University staff and students, the National Lottery has funded the Manchester Together Archive. Recently we told you about the National Lottery Awards, where projects funded by the lottery are honoured by public vote.Held at Manchester Art Gallery, the archive is made up of over 10,000 items which were left in locations all around the northern English city following the Manchester Arena attack. Some of those items included notes, poems, t-shirts and soft toys, as well as the personal messages which the National Lottery thought it was important to preserve. The People’s Postcode Lottery recently announced funding for a charity which produces school meals for children all around the world.The National Lottery, with help from regular players, has been able to donate a grant of £99,700 to the Manchester Art Gallery to enable them to document and digitise all the items and make them all searchable online. It will also fund the costs of employing two members of staff who will develop of archive at the gallery. Recently a Manchester man won £1 million on a National Lottery scratch card and was determined not to let his spending get out of control, while another Manchester lottery player thanked his late grandfather when he found himself £100,000 better off on a scratch card.“Manchester promised that we would never forget the Arena attack victims, and this is part of keeping that promise,” said Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council. “I am glad that those expressions of solidarity will be preserved and kept,” he continued, adding that they will continue to be a part of Manchester’s rich history that residents will remember and reflect upon.A spokesperson for the National Lottery fund said that it is thanks to National Lottery players that these messages and tributes can be kept for current and future generations. “I am proud that the Heritage Lottery Fund has been able to play a small part,” he added. We recently announced that Greater Manchester features in some of the UK’s luckiest lottery playing regions.Let Fate surprise you and purchase your lottery tickets online at Lottery24.com.