EAST Ayrshire has received over £28m from the National Lottery since it began 20 years ago.

With around 70 per cent of the UK adult population playing, the UK National Lottery is able to offer large amounts of funding for good causes. Across North, South and East Ayrshire this has provided over £97million and supported over 3300 projects.

With around 70 per cent of the UK adult population playing, the UK National Lottery is able to offer large amounts of funding for good causes. Across North, South and East Ayrshire this has provided over £97million and supported over 3300 projects.

A total of 1,115 grants have been made to community groups and organisation in East Ayrshire alone.

Even the Council has submitted 82 successful bids to the Lottery and has been awarded £9.157million since the fund began in 1994, including one grant of £640,740 to build a synthetic turf pitch and to improve changing rooms at Cumnock Academy in 2004.

Local groups to have benefited from much needed funding include: Dalmellington Band, The Mauchline Burns Club, Muirkirk Enterprise Group and Catrine Community Trust.

Dalmellington Band president, Bert Ritchie said: “We got over £40,000 years ago to help us get new instruments. More recently they gave us a grant of about £8,000 which went towards our 150th anniversary book.

“They’ve been great with us, we really couldn’t have done any of it without them.” The Mauchline Burns Club have also been awarded various grants to help them through their 13 year history, including their bumper event and Burns Supper at Mossgiel Farm.

Donald Howe, Mauchline Burns Club Treasurer, added: “For me personally, as the treasurer of various groups, the National Lottery has been very important in keeping these local events going. It’s been very beneficial to us.” Neil McKenna, External Funding Officer from East Ayrshire Council, said: “The National Lottery has made a real difference to our local communities and over the last 20 years it has provided over £29million and benefited 1,130 good causes from community organisations and voluntary groups as well as local authority led initiatives in East Ayrshire.

“The first recipients of Lottery grants in East Ayrshire were New Cumnock Golf Club (£38,000), 33rd Ayrshire Scout Group based in Dalmellington (£59,000) and Bellsbank Adventure Playground (£5,000).

“Significant awards have been made over the past 20 years to key projects in the Cumnock and Doon Valley area including Catrine Community Trust (£434,000 and £750,000); Barony 'A’ Frame Trust (£484,000 and £248,000); Cumnock and District Leisure Group (£700,000); Muirkirk Enterprise Group (£134,000) and Auchinleck Community Development Initiative (£249,000).

“More recently, recipients have included Afton Water Leisure; Doon Valley Tigers; Catrine Amateur Football Club; Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise and Netherthird Community Action Training.” Commenting on the first 20 years, Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said: “People in Ayrshire have helped make the National Lottery what it is today. Together with communities all across the UK they have helped all sorts of good causes.”