Every time you buy a Lottery ticket, you’re supporting charitable initiatives across the Channel Islands. Each year, our instant games contribute £2 million to empower a variety of vital causes to make a positive and meaningful difference for Islanders in Guernsey and Jersey.
Every Child Our Future (ECOF) has been awarded £5,000 of Channel Islands Lottery funding by Jersey Community Foundation (JCF). The grant is funding the delivery of dual language performances of familiar stories like ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ to over 600 nursery and primary school pupils at 10 schools across the Island.
As well as being enjoyable, these performances are specifically designed to improve literacy and to enhance the experience of students aged 3 to 5 years old with English as an additional foreign language. Each performance is delivered by Flair Entertainment and followed by a short Q&A session to develop the themes and language of the story. Copies of the story and accompanying props are also provided for each class attending.
The need for dual language education is backed by JCF’s ‘Local Needs Assessment’ (2022) which found that English is a second or foreign language for 26% of students in Jersey.
The Guernsey Social Investment Fund has recently granted £9,730 in Channel Islands Lottery funding to Headway Guernsey. This funding supports the rental of a welcoming, comfortable and non-clinical hub, facilitating the delivery of vital services to over 70 individuals in Guernsey.
Headway Guernsey provides support for Islanders, their families, and caregivers dealing with the long-term effects of serious acquired neurological injuries. A significant portion of Headway Guernsey’s support services takes place at Headway House, where weekly sessions include group cognitive activities, social interactions and independent life skills training.
Throughout these sessions, individuals gain valuable strategies to recover and rebuild their lives post-brain injury. This involves developing coping mechanisms, boosting confidence, acquiring new skills, regaining lost abilities and fostering mutual support in a confidential environment.
Brain injuries can occur unexpectedly due to various incidents such as accidents causing head trauma, strokes, assaults, sports-related injuries, brain haemorrhages, brain tumours, meningitis or encephalitis. The impact of a brain injury can be extensive, leading to challenges like limited mobility, speech issues, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, significant memory loss and personality changes.
We are pleased to support Headway Guernsey to make a tangible and meaningful impact on the lives of dozens of Islanders in Guernsey via this funding for their centre.
Jersey Zoo is proud to have taken a significant step towards becoming a more inclusive and accessible destination. The Association of Jersey Charities (AJC) has generously awarded £30,000 in Channel Islands (CI) Lottery funding to Jersey Zoo, marking the beginning of a transformative journey for visitors living with disabilities.
Jersey Zoo’s vision is to make their wildlife and learning about their conservation work accessible to all, no matter people’s physical and mental abilities. They are doing this by collaborating closely with local community members and specialist organisations. The journey started with a comprehensive accessibility audit, carefully identifying areas that required improvement. Thanks to the CI Lottery grant, the zoo is actively implementing the first phase of these improvements, which include enhanced access to enclosures and buildings, as well as flooring, lighting and ramp upgrades.
The team at Jersey Zoo is committed to ensuring these improvements are completed by the end of 2023, with several improvements already completed or in plan:
Installation of new flooring and a ramp at the Reptile House, to ensure safe and easy access for visitors and improved navigation;
Gradual reduction of gradients on pathways to enhance mobility accessibility;
Widening and flattening of paths across the zoo; and
Signage directing visitors to alternative routes in areas where full accessibility is pending.
In addition to the first phase of improvement works, there are mobility scooters and wheelchairs available for hire to make navigating the site easier. If you would like to hire one of the mobility scooters or wheelchairs, just ask one of the friendly team members upon purchasing your ticket at the entrance of the Zoo for assistance.
We are proud to contribute to Jersey Zoo’s efforts in making the site accessible to all, enabling every member of our community to connect with nature, learn about conservation and meet some of the world’s rarest animals.
Read about who we have supported in the last few years. If you’re interested please visit sif.gg in Guernsey or either jerseycharities.org or jerseycommunityfoundation.org in Jersey for more information on grants and programmes. See below to learn more about some of our recent beneficiaries.