What is The People's £50 Million Lottery Giveaway?
In June 2005 the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and ITV announced a competition to find the winner of a £50 million National Lottery grant. The search was on for a groundbreaking project that would inspire communities to revitalise the areas where they live.
There were 33 entries to the competition. BIG assessed the bids, identified a long list of 13 projects and in August 2006 awarded six projects development grants to take their plans forward to the next stage. In October 2007 BIG decided four projects would go through to the final. The Edge was one of them.
You can find out more about the other projects at www.thepeoples50million.org.uk and from 26 November you’ll be able to cast your vote online at that website for the project you’d like to win. There will also be an opportunity to vote by phone from early December. We will have more information on this nearer the time.
What economic benefits will the Edge bring? The current official estimate of what has become known as The Eden Effect (the amount of extra income generated for the region) is £800 million.
Since opening Eden has attracted around nine million visitors. The current annual visitor number stands at 1.2 million, significantly more than what was predicted before the project opened, putting Eden in the top ten paid-for visitor attractions in the UK.
Nearly half the visitors who come to Eden say they were very or extremely influenced to visit Cornwall because of Eden.
The Edge will ensure that Eden remains one of the world’s most exciting destinations, meaning more visitors and more jobs for Eden, the wider region and the UK.
Will the Edge contribute more to the year-round tourism economy in the region? Yes. Optimising the number of full-time jobs generated from tourism depends on developing activity all year round.
Everything Cornwall has to offer makes it a good spring and autumn destination as well as a summer powerhouse, but in practice the tourist year is highly biased towards summer and real growth is limited by the shortage of wet weather options.
By providing a substantial increase in covered space and gathering areas, the development of the Edge will add significant capacity to Eden’s ability, and therefore Cornwall's ability, to attract visitors all year round.
What other economic benefits will the Edge bring? Currently Eden employs around 500 people and uses 2,500 local suppliers. Around 80 per cent of catering supplies are sourced locally.
The Edge will enable Eden to consolidate and extend our commitment to local sourcing and sharing success with the local community.
Why has the Big Lottery Fund chosen these projects to compete for the £50 million? The mission at the Big Lottery Fund is to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people in need. They have a clear focus to fund projects and programmes within three key themes:
supporting community learning and creating opportunity
promoting community safety and cohesion, and
promoting well-being
They want their funding to achieve:
People having better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills
Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems
Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy
Healthier and more active people and communities
The Edge delivers against all these objectives.
To
find out more about Big Lottery funding, visit their website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Who is the Edge competing against? There are three other projects competing for the £50 million:
Sherwood Forest: The Living Legend (Nottinghamshire) - aiming to turn the forest into a sustainable destination and community resource
Sustrans Connect2 (nationwide) - aiming to improve local travel by creating new walking and cycling routes
Black Country as Urban Park (West Midlands) - aiming to rejuvenate the Black Country to benefit the local environment and people
We want the Edge to win. What else can we do to support you? There are so many ways you can help Eden and the Edge increase the number of votes we receive when voting opens in December. Click here for lots of ideas on how you can help us get as many votes as possible. We thank you in advance. We’d love to hear from you so let us know what you’re up to by emailing us, or you could even join our facebook group.
If you win the People’s Millions what exactly will you spend the money on?
The People’s Millions money will be spent building the Edge. Eden’s architects Grimshaws have helped craft a beautiful, dynamic fusion of architecture, technology, science and the arts.
Eden’s Biomes have already made the project world famous and inspired other landmark architecture around the world. The Edge raises the bar. It will incorporate a host of innovations to make best use of the sunlight and rain. The result will be a stunning new structure, both beautiful and functional, showcasing inventive new technologies and sustainable construction.
How will it benefit the UK as a whole?
The Eden Project is a registered charitable trust. Our interests lie in exploring the world through the lens of plants so we can understand our dependence on them. We develop best practice for principles of sustainable living that can act as a model for others.
The Edge, Eden’s greatest project to date, represents the next evolution of Eden. It builds on what we have achieved so far, but represents a major step forward in our ambition and our ability to meet the needs of communities across the country to work together for a better future.
Climate change and resource shortages are national and global issues that affect us all. The Edge will be a place that shows it is possible for mankind to find the solutions we need. This will need to be achieved on a global, national and local level.
