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Sustrans, the only project with a Northern Ireland dimension in the final four has won the £50m public vote.
The BIG Lottery Fund has announced that Sustrans’ Connect2 has been crowned the winner of The People’s £50 Million Lottery contest; the biggest ever award to be decided by a public vote.
Sustrans’ Connect2 is a UK-wide project that will create new cycling and walking routes to improve local travel in 79 communities across the country.
On receiving the news they had won John Grimshaw, CEO and founder of Sustrans said: “To say I am delighted is such an understatement – this is fantastic news for Sustrans.
“But, more importantly, it is fantastic for the 79 communities and many other partners and local authorities across the UK with whom we have been working for the last two years. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us, but the hard work starts now to build those bridges, tunnels, crossings and networks of paths. Ultimately the real winners will be those millions of people who will now be able to Connect2 their shops, schools, workplaces and each other every day!”
Four projects of national importance went head-to-head in a bid to win the massive £50 million grant, each receiving an initial grant of £500,000 to invest in their project’s development.
The other three projects in the running for the grant were:
On notifying the winning project, the Head of the BIG Lottery Fund, Sir Clive Booth said: “What an amazing nail-biting journey these contestants have been on. Over the last two years they have entered whole-heartedly into the spirit of the competition.
“It has been a great privilege to have been part of this ground-breaking initiative. We have all been impressed by the innovation and energy with which all of the projects have reached out across communities and brought their vision to public attention.
“At the Big Lottery Fund, we wish of course that they could all be winners. But we trust that the investment we have made in the development of each project’s plans will pay dividends for years to come.”
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