SEVEN SPORTING ‘GAME CHANGERS’ IMMORTALISED IN POETRY AT ICONIC VENUES ACROSS UK FOR THE NATIONAL LOTTERY’S 30TH BIRTHDAY
- The National Lottery marks its 30th birthday with moving poem brought to life across four locations – Wembley Stadium, Principality Stadium, the University of Stirling swimming pool and the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Institute
- Unveiled today (Wednesday 23rd October) with a dramatic reading by broadcaster Clare Balding, the poem by globally renowned artist Robert Montgomery celebrates the extraordinary achievements of seven sporting ‘Game Changers’ - women’s football pioneer Baroness Sue Cambell, ParalympicGB’s most successful Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the first black woman to represent Team GB in swimming at the Olympics Alice Dearing, and the coaches behind decorated Scottish swimming, NI boxing and Welsh wheelchair rugby league teams – Steven Tigg, Damian Kennedy and Stephen Jones
- Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million is raised every week for good causes, and this is the third of four unique activities taking place across the UK over the coming weeks, to mark The National Lottery’s 30th Birthday on 19 November
A poignant poem recognising the contribution of seven inspirational people to sport has been revealed at four sporting locations across the UK, as part of The National Lottery’s 30th birthday celebrations.
Created by world-renowned Scottish contemporary artist and poet Robert Montgomery, the moving work marks 30 years of The National Lottery and its support of UK sport and was unveiled by broadcaster Clare Balding with a dramatic reading [all images and reading available here].
Each verse of the poem highlights the unique journey and passion of one of the seven individuals to recognise their extraordinary impact on both grassroots and elite level sport with the help of National Lottery players who raise £30 million every week for good causes.
The poem was unveiled through a series of imaginative installations in the dressing rooms at Wembley Stadium, outside the Principality Stadium, floating on water at the pool at the University of Stirling and on the canvas of a boxing ring the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Institute.
The seven ‘Game Changers’ who inspired the artwork are:
- Baroness Sue Campbell, former FA Women's Football Director who transformed women’s and girls’ football in England. During her tenure, The FA redesigned talent pathways, oversaw seismic growth of the domestic leagues, championed grassroots football, and the Lionesses achieved historic success winning the EURO in 2022 and reaching the team’s first ever World Cup final.
- Dame Sarah Storey, ParalympicsGB’s most successful Paralympian, winning 30 medals across swimming and cycling.
- Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE, founder of parkrun, a global phenomenon with more than nine million runners participating in local 5k runs worldwide.
- Alice Dearing, the first black woman to compete for Team GB at the Olympics in swimming and co-founder of the Black Swimming Association which aims to ensure that black and ethnic minority communities have equal access to aquatics.
- Stephen Jones, head coach and chairman at North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby League & Disability Sports Clubs who transformed the sport and made rugby accessible to all, producing 16 international players.
- Damian Kennedy, the boxing coach that led the Northern Ireland boxing team to a record-breaking 2022 Commonwealth Games and was part of Team Ireland’s Paris 2024 Olympic success.
- Steven Tigg, a huge force for swimming in the UK, the Stirling-based Olympic swimming coach who sent eight Olympians, including Duncan Scott, to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As a legendary broadcaster and one of the most recognisable faces on our TV screens for championing UK sporting achievements, Clare Balding delivered a powerful reading of the poem and has joined The National Lottery in celebrating and congratulating the Game Changers and drawing attention to the thousands of projects supported by UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, sportscotland and Sport Wales.
Clare Balding said: “Sport is about so much more than winning a gold medal, it’s about the impact it has on our lives. That’s why I’m honoured to be a part of championing these seven outstanding people who have truly changed the game in their sports and communities. Sport unites people across borders, bridges divides, and ignites the human spirit, reminding us that through perseverance, teamwork, and passion, we can achieve greatness beyond the limits we once believed impossible. The Game Changers exemplify the transformative power of sport – and the role The National Lottery has played in making their achievements possible has been vital.”
Sally Munday, Chief Executive, UK Sport added: “The National Lottery’s 30th Birthday is a significant milestone, and an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved over the past three decades. The National Lottery funding, alongside government funding, has transformed British Olympic and Paralympic sport and has supported our athletes in having the right training environment and facilities and access to the best support staff and coaches. It has also played a key role in establishing the UK as one of the top nations in the world for hosting sports events.
“Here at UK Sport, we believe in the power of sport to have a positive impact on individuals and on society. The Game Changers epitomise the power of sport and we are proud to honour their remarkable achievements, so beautifully reflected in Robert Montgomery’s poem.”
Chair of Sport England, Chris Boardman, said: “For the last 30 years, the National Lottery has been transformative for grassroots sport and physical activity.
“By investing National Lottery funding, we’ve been able to improve vital facilities and fund projects in communities all over the country, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits of being active.
“Every single one of the 30 Game Changers has played their part in our mission, and it is brilliant to see them honoured through Robert Montgomery’s inspirational words”.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the first draw in 1994, The National Lottery is celebrating 30 inspirational people - Game Changers - who have achieved amazing things across the UK in the last 30 years, with the help of National Lottery funding.
The Game Changers were nominated by members of the public and selected by a panel composed of members of The National Lottery family and partners.
28 Game Changers will be revealed in September and October at four installations which will focus on an area of National Lottery funding including, the arts & film, heritage, sport and community.
The final two Game Changers will be announced on The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash scheduled for broadcast on ITV on 31 December.
The seven sport Game Changers announced today were selected as examples of dedicated, inspiring, high achieving individuals who have had a transformative impact on their sport, and a transformative impact on their wider communities and society.
For 30 years, money raised by National Lottery players has helped create extraordinary sporting moments that have inspired the nation and helped to transform lives and communities through physical activity and the power of sport.
Since 1994, more than £8.2bn has been awarded to support elite and grassroots sport projects across the UK.
Providing vital funding into elite and grassroots sport, National Lottery players support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport.
For the last 30 years no one has done more to change the game in the UK than National Lottery players. But we are just getting started, could National Lottery funding make you the next Game Changer in your community? Find out more here: https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/gamechangers
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For further information please contact: nl30@lansons.com / 07580 747 545
Notes to editors:
Full biogs on all National Lottery Game Changers can be found here: https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/gamechangers
Images and VTs available here:
PA Media | National Lottery Game Changer campaign: Sports (pressarea.com)
Poem by Robert Montgomery - text in full:
Part 1 – Displayed at the University of Stirling Swimming Pool
This poem portrays Stephen Tigg (sent 8 Olympians to the Paris Olympics including Duncan Scott, a huge force in GB Swimming and University of Stirling Sport) and Alice Dearing (open water swimmer and the first black woman to compete for Team GB at an Olympics in swimming and founder of The Black Swimming Association)
The medium is letters carved from recycled PVC and the poem floats on water at training pool at the University of Stirling.
Can you see the sky moving in the water
Swimming is the closest human beings get to flying,
When I started coaching I never thought we could do this,
Each swimming pool remembers the ocean
Water moves over the earth with freedom.
Swimming is a sanctuary where the mind quietens,
And movement becomes a language itself
It’s not about medals, it’s about personal growth.
Can you hear the wind of change in the water? Don’t let anyone
Tell you you can’t swim, we all have a right to learn how to stay
Safe in the water, to float and feel the music in the water
Regardless of background or colour
Here you can move like a bird.
Part 2 – Displayed at Wembley Stadium connected by EE’s Dressing Room
This poem portrays Baroness Sue Campbell, the former chair of UK Sport and Director of Women's Football at the FA who transformed women’s football in the UK.
The medium is vinyl stickers on the floor of the Wembley Dressing Room area.
From a teacher’s mission,
born in Moss Side
we changed lives.
It’s not about winning,
it’s about building a library
of self esteem and resilience.
What you see on screen
is a fraction of the heartbeat.
The real victory is how many
women and girls now play football
all across the country,
together we are writing
new histories, hearing
new voices in the mirrors.
Part 3 – Displayed at Principality Stadium in Cardiff
This poem portrait depicts Paul Sinton-Hewitt (founder of parkrun) and Stephen Jones ( head coach and chairman at North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby League & Disability Sports Clubs).
The medium is a masthead flag on the outside of the stadium.
No one finishes last, we just run in the park,
This is community medicine for individual hearts.
The parks must have dreamed us from the wind in their
grass, from the shivers of sky in their grass that whisper
ideas of freedom to them.
Our park is open to everyone,
we are inviting you to a fellowship not a competition.
This is not about winning it is about our childlike joy in running.
We don’t call ourselves a team, we call ourselves a family
You can feel the wind in your hair in a wheelchair,
We are still alive together on this fragile blue-skied planet,
Love is urgent.
Part 4 – Displayed in a boxing ring at the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village, home to The Sport Northern Ireland Institute
This poem portrait depicts Damian Kennedy (Northern Ireland boxing coach who helped to transform the sport across the country) and Dame Sarah Storey (ParalympicsGBs most decorated Paralympian with 19 gold medals across swimming and cycling)
The medium is a printed poem on the boxing ring floor mat.
Sport is the heartbeat of the city,
it lifts up these streets.
We feel the geometry of the ocean
every time we get in the ring,
or ride clear air on our bikes.
They can’t bully us.
You are my shadow and my friend.
We dance here, together
-and with the wind-
and this dancing itself,
is more important than the winning.
About The National Lottery:
- National Lottery players continue to raise around £30 million to good causes every week
- Since its launch in November 1994, The National Lottery has created more than 7,200 millionaires or multi-millionaires across its games. On average, seven millionaires are created every week - that's a new millionaire every day of the year
- But its primary purpose is giving to good causes. National Lottery players have raised more than £49 billion for good causes and more than 690,000 grants have been awarded across the UK
About UK Sport:
UK Sport is the UK’s trusted high-performance experts, powering our greatest athletes, teams, sports and events to achieve positive success. Established in 1997, UK Sport has transformed the high-performance sporting system in the UK – through strategic leadership and investment of National Lottery and Government funds – winning more Olympic and Paralympic medals than ever before and is recognised as one of the top nations in the world for event hosting capabilities. UK Sport’s purpose is to lead high-performance sport to enable extraordinary moments that enrich lives and aims to work collaboratively with partners to deliver the greatest decade of extraordinary moments; reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation.
More @ www.uksport.gov.uk
About the artist:
MTArt artist Robert Montgomery is a British contemporary artist well known for his work in public space. He makes light works, billboard poems, fire poems, paintings and watercolours. His work brings text art closer to the language of poetry. He represented the UK in the 2012 Kochi Biennale and the 2016 Yinchuan Biennale. His work is in museum collections across the world including the Albright Knox in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. He has had solo museum projects at the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado, Oklahoma Contemporary in Oklahoma City, and the Cer Modern Museum in Ankara. His work was recently included in the Musée du Louvre exhibition “La Suite de l’Histoire” in Paris. His work is hugely popular on the internet, the piece “The People You Love Become Ghosts Inside of You” has been shared online more than 200 million times.
About MTArt Agency:
Founded in 2015, MTArt Agency is a certified B Corp® global talent agency representing the world’s leading contemporary visual artists. Unapologetically bold, creatively unbound, and socially driven, MTArt is where artists become agents of cultural transformation.
"On average, we encounter up to 6,000 commercial visuals daily as we walk around our streets in megacities like London. These visuals constantly vie for our attention, making us feel stressed, tired, or anxious. As visuals shape mostly our subconscious, we are being told daily who matters, what matters and the stories told in this public art project are ones we rarely encounter and yet need deeply to imagine a new society, one with a stronger social cohesion at its core."
- Marine Tanguy, MTArt Agency CEO and Founder