 National Lottery Awards 2018! Celebrating some truly extraordinary people. Volunteers, charities and projects that make a huge difference to lives right across the country, all with the help of national lottery funding. We have got a fantastic show for you this evening, including a brand-new Athlete of the Year Award, an incredibly well-deserved special achievement award and a lot of very familiar faces along the way. Now, each and every time you buy a national lottery ticket, a percentage of the money you spend goes towards good causes that have made a real impact on real people. Take it from a very gifted young man who's had his life shape forever by national lottery funding. All over the UK, we're gaining from it. £30 million a week, the lottery, on average, gives to left-changing projects. The logo was a helping hand, steering me from a place that sells them grams. Now I use my gifts the way others sell them can. Elders suffer a broken heart when families grow apart. We fund the noble start to local solutions for social inclusion. The younger opportunities to sustain and sharpen skills opting out of options to sharpen the stainless steel. £7.9 billion revitalised sites, previously lost or hidden, ensuring history can teach in tip-top condition. Imagine dreaming of winning medals in sports then seeing dreams come true when sporting medals. All over the UK, we're gaining from it. Breaking cycles, breaking boundaries. We've put £38 billion into changing lives. Countless futures reshaping from it. Broken-world power who credits local projects supported by national lottery money were setting him on the right path. And that's why we're here tonight, recognising the hard work and dedication of wonderful people who make those projects possible. So, let's kick things off with the first category of the night. It's the Education Award. And to present it, we have one of Britain's finest actors. He is the star of Frost Nixon and the Queen. Please, everybody, welcome Michael Sheen. This year, we'll see a truly extraordinary anniversary. November 11th marks the centenary of the Armistice Agreement that ended the First World War. Back in 2017, 21 children from Thornhill Primary School in Cardiff wrote The Armistice Cantata, a remarkable musical production inspired by songs from the Great War. So, who better to tell them that they'd won this year's Education Award than someone who knows a thing or two about music and Cardiff? Catherine Jenkins set off to break the good news. I love a surprise. Inside, the children are already performing the Armistice Cantata, and I can't wait to go and deliver the wonderful news. Armistice Cantata was a unique project that the children were involved in, writing lyrics to exist in tracks that were popular during the time of the First World War. I wrote the song called Heroes. Saying thank you to all the people who worked hard in the war. I was involved writing the song called Son of Mine, which was about a mother writing to their son during the war. The children took it in both hands and just ran with it and have been so enthusiastic. It's been an amazing opportunity for them to sort of connect with their ancestors as well. We all just worked really hard to make sure that what we wrote really meant something to people. Congratulations, Armistice Cantata. You have won the National Lottery Education Award. When did you first hear Armistice Cantata? I first heard it when they sang a couple of the songs to our group. Very impressive, but when they put it together as a full show, it was just amazing. Are you pleased with what the children have achieved? I'm absolutely ecstatic. I'm so proud. I thought the children were absolutely fantastic and having written the lyrics, I could see you were singing it from the bottom of your heart. You knew it so well and the voices were so lovely and strong, and I loved it. Thank you so much. What a treat for me to get to hear you sing. Thank you. Armistice Cantata. Please welcome Grenville Jones and Claire Holcomb. I have to thank everyone who took the time to vote for our project, Armistice Cantata, from our Golden Oldies charity. It is vitally important that young children today understand the significance of the First World War, and that would not be made possible without the wonderful support of the National Lottery. So thank you again for the brilliant children at Thornhill School and their fantastic music teacher. Ladies and gentlemen, we will remember them. Next tonight, we have the health category. And to present this award, we have an actress best known for her role as consultant, Connie Beecham in Hobby City and Casualty. It is the brilliant Amanda Mealing. Thank you. It's encouraging news that more and more people are surviving a breast cancer diagnosis in 2018. Many assume that once the medical treatment has finished, you're fine. But I can tell you firsthand that this is often when the emotional and psychological battle begins. That is why the Becker app from Breast Cancer Care is tonight's National Lottery health winner. Shirley Ballas went up to Glasgow to meet some of the app users. Let's have a look. I'm really looking forward to delivering this news. I recently found out that I have cancer in my family. And this app is an amazing place to go, to share for hope. And I'm very, very excited about delivering this ball to all the ladies today. It's going to be a huge surprise. I was diagnosed on January the 21st, 2015. At first, I didn't believe it. I didn't think I had cancer. I thought they made a mistake. Breast cancer treatment for me was like surviving a war. The treatment's mentally and physically exhausting. I didn't actually think I would get through to the end. I had the chemo, I lost my hair, and that was the biggest thing. Long shoulder length, blonde hair that I loved, and I lost it. When you go through treatment, you have the continuous appointments. You're seeing a consultant, your GP, a nurse. And I think I felt when treatment stopped, that we security blanket was pulled from me. That's when the Beka app became part of my life because a lot of my questions and queries actually could be answered from people posting things. The Beka app is like my magazine first thing in the morning. There's always five different articles that you can go into, some on beauty, relationships, as well as the recipes. I like reading the blogs that people put on. It makes me feel there are somebody else out there that's feeling the same way that I am. I've just arrived. All the ladies are through there, and I have a huge entrance planned for them. I won the National Lottery Health Award. Your big ball. He thought you were just having a coffee morning. So I saw on the app that there was actual ballroom dancing that's healthy for everybody to do, to keep moving, so I wondered whether you all wanted to try a step or two. And come with me and try just a little flatter. OK? Right, left, close. And in. Take it and go. The Beka app helps me. It's just like a friend. It's my friend. And it's there 24-7, any time at all. I just find it very useful in helping me manage my fears, worries. I know I'm not alone. Please welcome Betty Hart and Samir Akkadie. I just wanted to say thank you so very much. Everyone at Best Cascade are really thrilled and proud. And thank you so much to the Big Lottery Fund. There's some particular people I need to thank who helped us to develop this app with an enormous amount of energy and passion. And they were people from Cast, Skimmit, Christina Barrick, and, of course, Betty and the other volunteers who helped test the app for us to make sure it worked well for people with breast cancer. So thank you very much from everyone at Breast Cancer Care. Next tonight we have the Voluntary Charity Award. The question is, who's won it? Well, here to tell us is a man who's never short of his own hard-hitting questions. It is the brilliant Louis Theroux. Having fled persecution in their own country, many refugees and asylum seekers arrive in the UK with absolutely nothing. As a result, paying for something as simple as a bus fare can mean having little money for food. The bike project aims to take that stark decision away. With their army of volunteers, they fix up secondhand and abandoned bikes. They then donate them in areas around the country, instantly giving people back their independence. They even offer a bike buddies scheme, pairing them with volunteers who help them build a life in their new communities. DJ and presenter Roman Kemp delivered the good news in the best way he knows how. Capital breakfast with Roman Kemp. OK, so I've just come off air. I'm about to record a very special message for the guys at the bike project and their bike beneficiaries. They are all currently gathered at their new workshop in Deppford to record some social media filming. They think they're just listening to the radio. However, we're going to play in our specially-recorded message with some very good news. Capital breakfast with Roman Kemp. I am off to meet an amazing charity called the Bike Project. Good morning. You have actually won the National Lottery Voluntary Charity Award 2018. Let's hear it for them. It's really great to have this kind of recognition. It's a really big boost. Just makes it all feel really worthwhile. You've done it. Hello. Congratulations. Thanks so much. Thanks for coming out. Now talk to me. What's been the reason behind this for you? When I was at university, I mentored a sign-in seeker called Adam. When I met him, he was given just £36 a week to live off and not allowed to work. He couldn't really afford to get anywhere, so I ended up getting my bike, and that was really the first step into normal living for him, because all of a sudden he could access education, health care. We'd now collect bikes, do them up, and donate it to refugees and asylum seekers. When you see people who are not integrated at all, not speaking a bit English, come to us, got a bike, help them into work, and see their confidence grow, that's been really rewarding. Dem, how has the National Lottery helped? They've kind of given us money at really crucial junctures. Lottery paid for work stands, tools, equipment. Tell me about the bike buddy scheme. We match volunteers who prefer refugees and go for rides with them, get to know each other, get to the local area, and that kind of thing. Where do I sign up? Ali, you're interested in being a bike buddy? Yes. Ali, hello, sir. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Right, OK, so, you've got Ali, I just think we need a bike. So, Ali, how did you get involved in the bike project? I came from Iraq. My life was not safe operating, so when I moved to London and I saw Alem Zikr, I have not too much money. I need a bike. I found the bike project, they said to me, you'll have a bike ready. Amazing. It is amazing. It helped me to go appointment with a doctor, or you need to go to school. I don't need someone to support me. It's like having a freedom. Welcome, Gemstein and patron David Morrisey. Six years ago, the bike project was simply a figment of my imagination. I'd just given away a single bike to a refugee, seeing the benefit that I had. And so, six years later, to be standing here, holding one of these, having given out almost 3,700 bikes, it's a huge privilege. We work with a really vulnerable, really marginalised group, and hopefully winning this award will do something towards not only recognising their plight, but amplifying their voice. Thank you. I just wanted to say that I'm really proud of the bike project, but all the charities in the voluntary charity section do amazing work, sometimes in very challenging circumstances. And it's testament to people in this country who have the innate desire to reach out and help people who are less fortunate than themselves. That's what we do best. Thank you very much. Next tonight, we have something very exciting and completely new. Here to present the first ever national lottery athlete of the year award is a remarkable sportswoman who's no stranger to awards herself, including Olympic Gold and an OBE. It's the phenomenal Rebecca Adlington. CHEERING Since national lottery funding for the Olympics and Paralympics sport started in 1997, Great Britain and Northern Ireland have gone on to win an incredible 860 medals. CHEERING This award is being introduced for the very first time in 2018 to celebrate the achievements of over 4,800 world-class national lottery-funded athletes, myself included. Each and every one of our finalists have been hugely successful and inspirational, but there can only be one winner. So, who's it going to be? So, the winner of the national lottery athlete of the year is... Duncan Scott. CHEERING He laid this one on me. LAUGHTER Cheers. I think, first of all, you know, a big thanks to the national lottery. I couldn't be standing where I am today without the support that I've had from them over the last couple of years. But, you know, I'm the brand ambassador for the Learn to Swim programme in Scotland, so hopefully winning this award will inspire some kids in the future to learn how to swim as it's a life skill. But other than that, thanks very much. And... Yes. Next up, we have the heritage category. To tell us who's won it is an actor who's often seen providing the answers. From silent witness, please welcome the magnificent Liz Carr. I do love a podium. Accessible. The UK has a wealth, as we know, of stunning heritage sites. But for many disabled people, they can be difficult to reach and fully enjoy. Oh, yes, I can tell you from personal experience. So, thankfully, we have the Heritage Ability Project by Living Options Devon, and they've worked tirelessly to help change that. Their aim is to make these wonderful places more accessible for all kinds of disabled people. So, actor and comedian Sally Phillips made her way to Torquay to meet the team and to deliver a sky-high surprise. So, apparently... Oh, there's quite a lot of celebrities surprising National Lottery Award winners, and I hate to be competitive. Actually, that's such a lie. Love to be competitive. I really want my surprise to be the best, so guess what? I have a plane! FOX AWAY! The project began several years ago. It was found that a lot of the heritage in the south-west was not accessible. I registered severely site-impaired. When I visit a site like this, the information that they issue to people so that you can take it around the site with you has always been too small. Come into places like this in the past, lots of bumps, lots of steps. So, certain parts aren't accessible. I feel really left out when all the hearing people can get what's going on. It just doesn't feel right. They've all enjoyed their day, but I want the same access. The Heritage Ability Project makes sites more accessible. So, we do this with our visual stories. Someone with disabilities can plan ahead, and then when they get here, they can use the tramper, they can maybe use the large print and the self-guided map, or the BSL tour to improve their visit. We're a three-year project, and we're halfway through, and already the feedback we've received has been remarkable. The difference with having accessible information available to me is that instead of having to ask who I'm with constantly, what's this, what's that, I can look for myself. With a tablet, I can use a recorded BSL guide. So, I don't have to worry about relying on an interpreter or family and friends who are hearing to know what's going on. I can be independent. Having the tramper means I can just sit and enjoy the scenery and get where I want to go. We have an ETO of T-minus five minutes. Hi, Maria. Hi, I'm Sally. How are you? Great to meet you. What part has the National Lottery played in making this possible? Without this money, we just couldn't have done this project. We could design it, but we wouldn't have been able to deliver it. Is there an aerodrome movie? Oh, it's wonderful. Oh, yes. No. We've won! This is incredible. Now we can really go for it. Yeah, it's great to let people know that they can get in now, places that they were excluded from. It is. Yeah, it's about time and it's happening. Well done, you. Mary Ann Soper. Thank you. I am delighted to be able to receive this award on behalf of disabled people and deaf British sign language users across the UK who have found difficulty accessing heritage sites. We'd like to thank National Lottery Players, Heritage Lottery Fund, all our supporters, sponsors, of course, our staff volunteers, and I must say a personal thank you to Mary Ann Soper for her inspirational leadership. Thank you, everybody. Our next award is in the Arts category, and to present it is the incredibly talented star of episodes and the split, the brilliant Stephen Mangan. APPLAUSE In 2017, Hull became the UK's city of culture, and it more than lived up to the title. 5.3 million people flocked to the city's world-class cultural programme, which included nearly 3,000 events and over 400 new commissions, installations and exhibitions. And it was made possible in no small part by National Lottery Funding. An army of hard-working volunteers contributed to what was an astonishing success. Christopher Eccleston set off for Hull to surprise the amazing people behind it all. Former resident poet Philip Larkin once said, Hull is a city that is in the world, yet sufficiently on the edge of it, to have a different resonance. Now, if you speak to the people of Hull, they'll tell you exactly what that means. It's an individual place with a strong sense of community as well. It's got a vibrancy and such a friendliness and a warm place to be. It's more than a city, it's probably a family. The Hull City of Culture 2017 was something like 2,500 different events. We had 50 years since decriminalisation of homosexuality, which ended up in a huge dance in the city centre. We had the amazing place I wish to communicate with you, where the residents made that whole block into an art installation, and nobody's lost that sense that art can transform a place and change people's lives. We gave people a platform to go express themselves, to sing about their city, to celebrate what the city was capable of doing, and with that, confidence has just flourished. What I loved most was the change in the feeling of Hull, people about themselves. Suddenly, people started to walk taller and became proud, and it was OK to be positive, and it was OK to shout out that Hull's actually a good place to live. I think people are now talking about us, and people are visiting us. I'm so proud. We've organised a gathering with some of the team and volunteers, but what they don't know is they've actually won the National Lottery Arts Award 2018. Let's go and give them the good news. As you know, you've been gathered here today because you've been nominated for a National Lottery Arts Award, which is an amazing achievement in itself. So, to celebrate that, I've commissioned a new piece of art. I'm really thrilled to win this National Lottery Award. It's great to be recognised nationally, to celebrate our success is absolutely phenomenal. A huge amount of funding came through the National Lottery, and it's great that people can see that connection. The city deserves it. Filled my heart with real pride and joy. That award today is just the clarification that, yeah, we did do it, and we knew we'd done it, but we're now telling the rest of the country and the rest of the world we just nailed it. Thank you. We are so thrilled to accept this on behalf of the whole city of Hull, a huge amount of people to thank us part of it, the National Lottery, those volunteers. You've never met anything like them. The audiences, our partners, our sponsors. City of Culture just was a massive collaborative effort and really showed what change can happen when a whole city comes together. Art can transform places and can change people's lives. Thank you. Next, we have the Environment Award. And to present it, we have a great partnership with really great hair. We've already seen a strictly judged tonight, so how about one of its couples? Please welcome Vick Hope and Graziano de Prima! CHEERING This year's Environment Award goes out to a fantastic scheme called Pollination. The project has encouraged schools throughout the UK to improve their environments and encourage the population of flower pollinators. 260 schools have already embraced the challenge from debating pesticide use to installing bee hives on school grounds. They've literally created a buzz. East Ender star, Nitin Ganatra, travelled to Northern Ireland to deliver the good news. Butterflies. The prettiest of the pollinators. Now, over there is Carly Sefin, one of the architects of the Pollination project, and I am really looking forward to giving her this news. Pollination is a lottery-funded project that encourages young people to learn about the importance of pollinators and then use that learning and practical skills to improve their school grounds, doing... Hello! Hello, I'm Nitin. I've come all the way from Albert Square. I've got a little surprise for you. Pollination, you have won the Environmental National Lottery Award in 2018. Oh, God, I feel quite emotional. That is just the most fantastic news. Thank you so much. How does that feel? Just unbelievable. All the staff, all the children will just be delighted that not only are they doing something to help pollinators, but it's being recognised, and that's wonderful. Tell us a little bit about what you're doing. So, we've had 260 schools across the UK take part in pollination. They've planted towers of tyres with pollinator-friendly plants. We've seen children going outside more using local meadow space, and we've also seen children even put beehives in their schools, which has just been amazing. So, Carly, I want to surprise some of the kids who are involved with this project, and I think I've got a really good idea to surprise them with. Sounds really intriguing. So, have a little look around. Can you see any pollinators using the garden today? I came here to say congratulations. Pollination has won the Environmental... Hello there. Oh, what have you got? Tortoise shell. That's a tortoise shell. Butterfly. Since you've been doing all of this, have you seen an increase in insects? Yeah. In the morning, you can see all the plants, and there's lots of pictures, and there's no rhyme. What is this bee doing? It's sucking all the nectar. Right, we need to follow this bee to find out where the hive is, so we're going to have some fresh honey, right? It's so exciting. It's been such a great project to work on. We've created gardens all over the UK, and I'm absolutely delighted. Here to the National Lottery for Believing in this project, and to the amazing team at LTL, and our wonderful partners, that has just made it such fun to work on. But most of all, this has to go to 35,000 children, their teachers, and the young people who have been involved in this project, who have surveyed, who have sown, who have campaigned and created the best pollinator habitats you can imagine. Bee and pollinator decline is one of the greatest threats to the world's ecosystem, and I'm just so delighted our future seems in such safe hands. So, thank you, guys. This has been for you. Next slide, we have the Sports Award. It is a heavyweight prize, so we need a heavyweight to present it. Please welcome The Mighty. David, hey! The Sheffield Steel Kings, a brilliant para-ice hockey club who used sport to get people back into physical activity and improve their mental health in a big way. Players get to enjoy fast-paced sports. So, to tell the Kings they'd taken their throne, we sent para-gold medalist Johnny Peacock. It's fast. Furious. And for some, it can be completely life-changing. I worked for a prestige car company for 11 years, and then it had me accident, and, yeah, that was it. It was a motorbike accident. I was on my way home from work, and the car pulled lights on me, and that's the last thing I remember. Anything below the chest is now... ...paralysed. I had shattered my spine. It just hits you. You're actually physically disabled. When I left hospital, I went back to work, and it kept me going. I got made redundant, and I sat in the house for a year and a half, and salt. I basically give up. I needed something to look forward to, and I was just looking at a magazine and saw these guys. He slid just, and I'm thinking to myself, I suck it for disabled people. I can do that. Since I started playing for Steel Kings, I've been part of a team again. I feel like I'm somebody. So the teams still have no idea that they've won. Got a little surprise for them. Q Klaxon. You are the winners for the Sport National Lottery Awards 2018. It's fantastic. Absolutely fantastic news. It's just one big family. You know, everybody helps each other out. This team's been brilliant. I've just lost my wife. I don't think I've got to do it without that. So what we're trying to do is get people enjoying life again. We've interrupted your training, but I hope it's worth it. It's definitely worth it. Well, mate, massive congratulations again. Thanks for the courage, buddy. Well deserved. You have to get you in a slight suit. You just want to take me out. That's it. Two points! And Jake Oakley. Truly an honour to be up here. To receive this award on behalf of the Sheffield Steel Kings. The award is huge, not just for us as a club, but for the sport. Our whole mission, the Steel Kings, is to get more people into sport and finding a new lease on life. Yeah, from the bottom of our hearts, just... Thank you very much. Thank you. It's time for the final honour of the night. And this is a big one. It's the award for special achievement. And I can tell you, this year's winner is someone truly inspirational. To tell us more, we have somebody who knows firsthand just how special she is. Please welcome her daughter Francesca. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm here tonight thanks to my mum. Hi, mum. LAUGHTER Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is strong, independent and beautiful, with the fiercest sense of social justice. She's passionate, loving and caring. Oh, and she also has incurable cancer, but that certainly doesn't define her. Cancer doesn't stop my mum. Despite receiving chemotherapy every week, she works tirelessly to improve the lives of thousands of other people affected by cancer and cancer poverty across the UK. She gives them something to look forward to. Cancer has devastated our family in so many ways, but it has taught us the importance of making memories, which is what Fiona now gives to other families like ours. And tonight is one of those nights, mum, a night where we make memories together as a family, memories that we will never forget. Thank you so much, Francesca. We can all see just how big a moment this is for your whole family. But here's the thing. Fiona was nominated for this year's Voluntary Charity Award, but had no idea. We had something much bigger planned for her. Here's what happened when presenter Lisa Faulkner went to meet her and find out more about her incredible work. It's impossible to know how you'd react when you're diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, but Fiona Cauldron, well, she did something remarkable. Tell me about something to look forward to. Something to look forward to passes on gifts and experiences to people affected by cancer. How did you come up with the idea? When I got breast cancer in 2007, we found putting little treats in the diary, gave us something nice to think about. What is your cancer diagnosis now? In 2013, it sprints up my lungs, so at that point, it becomes incurable. What sort of gifts do you give? We try and focus the gifts around things that give people rest, recuperation, and a chance to build positive family memories together. I'm on my own with two boys, and I wanted something that we could share together, so Fiona gifted me a flight with a pilot for my children, so I just wanted them to be excited about something and just take some nice photographs and just enjoy a day out together. One of the biggest things that's unrecognised about a cancer diagnosis is the financial impact it has on people, the small treats in life, so the things to go first. All these brilliant things that you do for other people. I'd like to give you a little treat from me afternoon tea. Oh, that's lovely. Oh, thank you so much. My mum died when I was young of cancer, and I just think what you're doing is incredible. The only people that understand fully what we do is people that are either going through it or have been through it, and they get why things like that are so super important. Unless you've been diagnosed with cancer, you have no idea how it turns your entire world upside down. Everything changes. Most of your time is spent at the hospital, so it's really nice to go and do something for yourself and something that's a bit of a luxury. When you're on well with cancer, you realise that life can be short and it's all about enjoying the moment and having special ties with people that you love. A little treat, a weekend away, make all the difference. Particularly as you go along the journey and can no longer work, so money becomes tight, and the whole point of being alive is to make a few more memories along the way. That's how I'm looking at my terminal diagnosis anyway. What has the charity done for you? It gives me something positive to focus on. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning. People are relying on me, and it's given our family something positive to come out of, not really a great experience. You care to do the honours. Fiona, congratulations. I'm so honoured to give you this, and I was so blown away by you and your charity. I had such an amazing day, and if you'll have me, then I would be honoured to be your ambassador. Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you. Thank you for your absolutely overcomer. No idea at all that this was going to happen this evening, and I'm so blown away by it and to say the obvious thank yous to the Lottery and to my wonderful, wonderful family, because there's no way on this earth I could have done this without them. My husband who sat there, my son, my step-daughters, and my wonderful daughter who works with me. I guess I think one of the main things I would like to say is that cancer poverty is a really, really under-recognised and under-supported area. People do not realise when you get a diagnosis of cancer how it can impact on any of us. The things that go first are the things that you need most, the little nice things in life, even if it's only going out for a meal in an evening. It's really, really important to create positive memories with the ones you love. Thank you very much for this. Congratulations again to Fiona. Thank you so much to Francesca, and of course to Lisa Portman as well. Well, that is it for the National Lottery Awards 2018. Thank you to our wonderful celebrity guests, to all of our incredible winners, and of course to every single one of you at home watching. Until next time, good night.