MAGNIFICENT SEVEN HERITAGE ‘GAME CHANGERS’ CELEBRATED AT HUGE LAND-ART INSTALLATION AS PART OF THE NATIONAL LOTTERY’S 30TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

• The National Lottery marks 30th birthday with epic 5,400 square meter ‘Heritage Tree’ land-art enveloping English Heritage’s Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire
• Unveiled on Tuesday (1st October) by actor and broadcaster, Sir Tony Robinson, the artwork celebrates the extraordinary achievements of seven Heritage ‘Game Changers’ - including the founders of the Eden Project and Windrush Foundation
• The breathtaking installation is created by globally renowned land artist, David Popa, who used the abbey’s vast landscape and natural pigments painted on the ground to show the Game Changer’s hands holding the roots of a tree. The ‘Heritage Tree’ honours the seven inspirational people who have ‘changed the game across heritage, land and nature over the last three decades
• Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million is raised every week for good causes, and this is the second of four unique activities taking place across the UK over the coming weeks, to mark The National Lottery’s 30^th Birthday on 19 November

A giant land artwork – the size of 4 Olympic swimming pools - has today been revealed at Whitby Abbey, as part of The National Lottery’s 30th birthday celebrations.

Created by globally renowned MTArt artist David Popa, known for creating huge ephemeral artworks made out of natural materials, the ‘Heritage Tree’ marks 30 years of The National Lottery, and was unveiled by actor and broadcaster, Sir Tony Robinson.

The vast artwork, measuring in at 5,400 square meters – Popa’s largest and most complex piece to date – commemorates the achievements of seven Game Changers, to recognise their extraordinary impact on heritage and conservation with the help of National Lottery players who raise £30 million every week for good causes.

The seven ‘Game Changers’ who inspired the artwork are:

• Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of The Eden Project. A visionary entrepreneur who transformed a reclaimed clay pit in Cornwall into a world-renowned ecological attraction to inspire people to reconnect with the natural world, and challenge how we view our role in it; visited by millions and contributing more than £2.2bn to the South West economy.

• Arthur Torrington CBE, co-founder of the Windrush Foundation. Arthur has travelled across the UK collecting the powerful narratives of the Windrush Generation to elevate the 'Empire Windrush' to an iconic status. Arthur’s commitment and work through the Foundation ensures the legacy of the Windrush Generation is remembered, inspiring future generations to appreciate and honour their history and contributions. 

• Teresa Anderson MBE, Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement. A British physicist championing science as a form of cultural heritage that tells a story about who we are, leading to Jodrell Bank being recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019.

• Chantelle Lindsay, presenter, Project Officer with the London Wildlife Trust and advocate for diversity and inclusivity in wildlife. Passionate about breaking down barriers to nature for black people, and inspiring young people and ethnic minorities through initiatives like Kick The Dust, Keeping it Wild, Wildlife Watch videos and appearances on Springwatch and CBeebies' Teeny Tiny Creatures.

• Sandy Bremner, convener for the National Parks Authority. Leading transformative projects in an area bigger than Luxembourg, Sandy is currently overseeing The Cairngorms 2030 programme, the £10 million National Lottery funded initiative to transform the Cairngorms into the UK's first net zero national park.

• Lisa Power MBE, trailblazer for LGBTQIA+ rights and Pride Cymru volunteer. Prominent sexual health and LGBTQIA+ rights campaigner dubbed ‘the matriarch of LGBTQIA+ activism’, Lisa was the first openly LGBT person to speak at the United Nations. Lisa coordinated The National Lottery funded Icons and Allies Project project that unearths and honours trailblazing LGBTQIA+ figures and allies from across Wales, as well as supporting Fast Track Cymru, Pride Cymru and sitting on the Board of Queer Britain, the national LGBTQIA+ museum.

• Heidi McIlvenny, project leader for Ulster Wildlife's Sea Deep initiative until June 2022. Passionate about sharks since her first encounter as a professional PADI divemaster on a Honduran island, Heidi launched a first-of-its-kind shark-tagging programme in Northern Ireland and coordinated efforts to gather vital data about local sharks, skates and rays.

As one of the most popular faces on our TV screens for championing UK heritage and conservation, Sir Tony Robinson has joined The National Lottery in celebrating and congratulating the Game Changers and drew attention to the thousands of projects supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Sir Tony Robinson said: “Given the hugely important work of all seven, I am deeply honoured to support The National Lottery’s celebration of these extraordinary people. Across the spectrum of our heritage and conservation, the impact of the causes and projects championed by these Game Changers is evident - and the role The National Lottery has played in making this possible has been vital. I’m proud to help celebrate their 30th birthday in such a meaningful way."

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive officer, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Our heritage is incredibly diverse, from archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to sweeping landscapes and rare wildlife.

“At the root of each part of our heritage are people. People who believe in the value of heritage, who dedicate their lives to preserving and enriching it for all to enjoy, people who are game changers for heritage.

“The creation of a stunning ‘Heritage Tree’ installation at Whitby Abbey honours seven of those extraordinary Game Changers and beautifully symbolises the deep roots and ever-growing impact of each, reflecting our shared ambition to strengthen heritage. It’s thanks to players of The National Lottery over the last 30 years, and those to come, that our shared heritage will be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”

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.

They were selected as examples of inspiring, tenacious and committed individuals who developed and delivered National Lottery funded projects to preserve heritage and enhance science and the environment.

National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund helped them to make heritage stronger and more financially resilient benefitting communities and economies throughout the UK.

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.

For 30 years, money raised by National Lottery players has helped fund thousands of projects that value, care for and sustain the UK's heritage for everyone.

Since 1994, more than £8.6bn has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support thousands of projects - like those of the Game Changers.

Between 1996 – 2000, English Heritage received more than £3.7m of National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Heritage fund for the restoration and protection of the natural beauty and historic character of Whitby Headland, including the conservation of the standing remains of the abbey.

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

-Ends-

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: [AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY 30th SEPT]

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 The National Lottery Heritage Fund:

• As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

• Over the next ten years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

• We help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

• We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

• Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund  www.heritagefund.org.uk

About English Heritage:

• English Heritage cares for over 400 historic monuments, buildings and sites – from world famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to Cold War bunkers.  Through these, we bring the story of England to life for over 10 million visitors each year. www.english-heritage.org.uk Registered charity no. 1140351
• Whitby Abbey, received over £3.7million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund between 1996-2004 for the Whitby Abbey Headland Project | The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the restoration and protection of the natural beauty and historic character of Whitby Headland, including the conservation of the standing remains of the Abbey and other structures. The site has been adapted for public use including safe access, and interpretive and educational facilities.
• The ruins of Whitby Abbey are among the most celebrated sights of North Yorkshire. The first monastery here, founded in about 657, became one of the most important religious centres in the Anglo-Saxon world. In 664 it was the setting for the Synod of Whitby, a landmark in the history of the Church in England. The abbey was re-founded after the Norman Conquest as a monastery of the Benedictine order. The headland is now dominated by the ruins of their abbey church, which was built in the 13th century.

About the artist:

MTArts artist David Popa was born and raised in NYC currently based in Finland. His interest in the arts spawned from a tight mentorship with his Father Albert Popa who was one of the first Graffiti Writers in NYC and later taught him traditional painting at a young age. However, what ultimately spurred Popa to pursue the arts full time were the adventures to be had outside the studio. His interest in Street Art/Contemporary Muralism was the catalyst for the work he presently creates. His current body of work uses all natural pigments mixed only with the source water to create site-specific, ephemeral earth-works captured through the eye of a drone. The large-scale work Popa paints, mostly on islands/islets in the Nordic region, are documented and portrayed through photography,short films and most recently as NFT’s (Unique Digital Works of Art). He is represented by MTART Agency, one of the world's leading Art Agencies.

 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