Press Releases

The Museum is one of ten projects nominated in the Best Heritage Project category of the Awards and people from Swansea are being urged to show their support by voting for it.

Now entering their fourth successful year, the Awards aim to recognise the difference that Lottery-funded projects of all sizes make to local communities and celebrate the achievements of the people behind them.

Swansea was chosen as the site for the National Waterfront Museum because its location and history were identified as most relevant in telling the story of Welsh industrial and maritime history.

The project has addressed the need for an engaging museum that deals with the human history of industrial Wales and it has broken new ground in telling these stories with interactive, multi-media displays.

Lottery funding helped to create a stunning museum building, comprising a historic dockside warehouse and a landmark contemporary building. The Museum is now a major tourist attraction, welcoming over a quarter of a million visitors a year and is rapidly developing an international reputation for excellence and innovation in display and interpretation.

Dr Richard Bevins, spokesperson for the Museum, says: "We are thrilled to be involved with the National Lottery Awards, and we hope the public really get behind us and show their support."

Public voting starts on the 9 July and ends on the 3 of August. The three projects with the highest number of votes will go through to the final. Winning projects will feature on a primetime show on BBC1, and will win £2,000 to be spent on their project.

To register your vote for the National Waterfront Museum call 0845 386 8117 or visit or www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards. Voting lines are open now and close at midday on Friday 3 August.

The National Waterfront Museum is part of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, which operates six other national museums across Wales. These are National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, the National Roman Legion Museum, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, the National Wool Museum and the National Slate Museum, Llanberis.

Entry to all Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales museums is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Since The National Lottery began in 1994, more than £20 billion has been raised and over 250,000 grants given out across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment. The National Lottery Awards aim to celebrate and recognise the difference that Lottery-funded projects have made to people, places and communities all across the UK.

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Notes to editors: 

• For every pound spent on The National Lottery, 28p goes to Good Causes
• National Lottery players raise £25 million per week for Good Causes
• The National Lottery provides funding across the arts, heritage, sport, environment, health, education, voluntary projects and charities
• Over half of all Lottery grants are under £5,000, helping small projects make a big difference
• For more information on the Awards visit The National Lottery Good Causes website: http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk//awards
• Calls to vote are charged at a BT local landline cost of 1.5p
• The awards were launched in March, and projects were encouraged to nominate themselves, or they were nominated by the public. An independent panel of judges chose the ten shortlisted projects in each category
• Winners will be announced on a special Saturday night show on BBC1 on 15 September 2007.

Quotes and/or interviews with the shortlisted projects can be arranged. For further media information or interview/quote please contact:

Fay Harris on (01792) 638970 or fay.harris@museumwales.ac.uk

Kirsty MacLeod on 020 7211 3998 or kirsty.macleod@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

Matthew Mansfield on 020 7211 1855 or matthew.mansfield@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.