Public urged to back Dearne Valley mining memorial

Cortonwood Coal Mining Memorial Park, which will be sited near Wombwell, will battle against six other regional initiatives as part of this years The Peoples Millions TV competition.

Launched in 2005, the competition has funded more than 520 community projects in the UK with 27.8 million Big Lottery Fund good cause money.

From Monday, November 25, the county’s six selected groups will feature on Calendar evening news giving them the chance to put forward their case for the cash.

Each night two groups will make their bid, with the public voting by phone to decide who wins the prize.

There are three, 50,000 awards up for grabs in the region  one award for each night, as well as a bonus award for the runner up with the most phone votes across the week.

Elsecar Heritage Railway Limited’s project Cortonwood Coal Mining Memorial Park will go first on November 25 along with Foresight North East Lincolnshire Limited’s Cultivating my Community.

The Cortonwood project seeks to create a memorial garden, picnic and play area on part of the old Cortonwood Colliery station, to commemorate the 300 years of coal mining in South Yorkshire.

The project will involve local mining communities and the park will be located where the year-long miners’ strike began in 1984.

Voting numbers will be available on the day the projects are due to appear on ITV with telephone voting lines opening at 9am on each day and winners announced the following day.

Dawn Austwick, Big Lottery Fund chief executive, said: “The highly imaginative range of projects short-listed for The Peoples Millions this year really will enable local lives to be changed by you.

“While it will undoubtedly present a challenge for the public to decide which good cause to choose, the end result is certain to benefit communities in need.

“We want to encourage everyone to show their support for the projects which capture their imagination, as every vote counts.”

For more information visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk