Samantha Womack on the soaring demand for local charities

During the cost-of-living crisis, local initiatives became even more critical as they provide essential support to communities during challenging times. 30% of Brits say they have increased their usage of local initiatives during this period, with 7% significantly turning to them more than before.

7% might not sound like much – but when you realise that it equates to the entire populations of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield and Bradford combined – it starts to hit home the sharp uptick in usage.

The study, from the National Lottery Awards, shows how demand has spiked during this period, with over half (56%) saying they used them at the same rate as before – meaning a significant amount more usage than before.

But whilst things seem hard – there is hope. The National Lottery Awards are an annual celebration of ordinary people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding. Award winners will receive a £5,000 cash prize for their project to thank them for their efforts, providing local heroes with much-needed funds to continue their essential work. In a cost-of-living crisis, this could be a real help and a lifeline.

Aston spoke to actress and singer Samantha Womack.

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash