Visitors to iceSheffield will be doing a double take this week when they spot its latest addition – a giant six-foot Lottery ball.The giant ball is one of several to have appeared at Lottery-funded projects across Yorkshire this week.

The balls, each labelled with a message about a Lottery-funded project, are part of a campaign to highlight to people where Lottery Good Causes funding has been invested locally and how it benefits them.Yorkshire has benefited from more than £60 million of Lottery money in the last year alone and, since the Lottery began 13 years ago, funding has been awarded to projects both big and small, including iceSheffield, which received over £12million to develop a state-of-the-art ice sports facility, now recognised as one of the best in the country.

Caroline Wood from The National Lottery explains: “All of the projects that have a giant Lottery ball in place, along with the thousands of other Lottery-funded projects in Yorkshire are improving the lives of local people and the places they enjoy. “Throughout Yorkshire, Lottery grants are given to both high-profile and some perhaps less well-known, community-based projects spanning the arts, sports, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment, making a positive difference to communities across the country.”

For more information about where to spot the balls and the projects that have received Lottery-funding in Yorkshire, visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

Below: Shaun ashton - Ice Programming Manager