Time for Some BIG Thinking

• National Lottery

The Big Lottery Fund is urging organisations and individuals across the UK to engage in the debate on how BIG's funding should be allocated through its grant programmes between 2009 and 2015. Watch the You Tube Video

Sir Clive Booth, UK Chair of the Big Lottery Fund said, "We must ensure that BIG can make the best possible contribution to communities and people most in need over the next six years. The financial turmoil of the past weeks has been unsettling for communities across the country. All the evidence shows that it is the worst off who will be affected most. This makes our Big thinking conversation even more important. We want to hear from you how Lottery funding can best benefit communities. Make your voices heard and help influence where Lottery money goes."

Big thinking is giving everyone the chance to have their say through a series of national, regional and local face-to-face events and online channels including questionnaires, blogs and videos at www.big-thinking.org.uk. It will look back at what has been achieved from the accumulated experience of more than ten years of Lottery funding and what the Fund can do even better with guidance and opinion from the general public plus voluntary, charity and public sector organisations.

In Northern Ireland a number of consultation events will take place.

The first event will be held in the Calgach Conference Centre in Derry on 25 November 2008, with a further event on 22 January 2009 at NICVA.

To register, please contact the Big Lottery Fund's Information Team on 028 9055 1455 or email: enquiries.ni@biglotteryfund.org.uk.

BIG is expecting to distribute over £2 billion over the coming years.