Numbers come up after all

We don’t often think about it as we crumple up and throw away our tickets after checking Daturday night’s lottery numbers but the game has made all of Wearside winners.

The Lottery recently launched its online miniseries Untold Stories: Sunderland, which reveals how cash from the organisation is helping the people of Sunderland.

As part of the series, Apprentice star Katie BulmerCooke and co-presenter Josh Wilkinson, from Barnes, visited the Foundation of Light’s Beacon of Light facility, arts programme The Cultural Spring, children’s charity Grace House and revamped performing arts hub The Fire Station

In 2017, the National Lottery invested more than £15million into good causes in the Sunderland area, helping to enrich and impact upon thousands of lives.

A total of £1.5million was given to the Beacon of Light from the Lottery’s Sport England arm, which was spent on creating the facility’s indoor arena.

The Foundation of Light’s chief executive Lesley Spuhler said: “We’ve had 60,000 people through the door in the first few months of being open, which is fantastic.”

Elsewhere, the Fire Station project was handed £2.5million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to transform a decaying building into a cultural hub. It now houses schemes such as Live Tales, a reading and writing project for Key Stage 2 children, and Dance City.

PaulCallaghan,oftheMAC Trust, said: “The projects we have here help to give people the confidence to do things they would not normally do. Andifwehadnothadthemoney from the Heritage Lottery Fund, we would not be where we are now.”

So after failing to win the jackpot again tonight, at least we can feel some benefit.