South Hams CVS has written to Anthony Steen MP, Gordon Brown MP and Tessa Jowell MP,in an effort to bring  their attention to the threat to our local communities posed by the prospect of National Lottery Funding being diverted to make up the shortfall in funds required to host the London Olympics in 2012.  In addition, we are also asking that as members of local voluntary and community organisations, you write to make your concerns heard.

If the £900million shortfall is diverted from the National Lottery, the various Lottery distributors will all lose large amounts of money, much of which would otherwise go to fund projects in local communities, including our own area in South Devon.

National Lottery funds such as Awards for All are a well-used source of funding for smaller groups in rural areas. It gives people the opportunity to respond to needs in their own communities quickly and effectively. We believe that a drastic cut in the amount of money available will have a highly detrimental effect on our villages and market towns. The result will be a loss of services, opportunities and activities for local people.

This negative impact will not be balanced in areas such as ours by the advantages brought to London, Weymouth and the major football centres by the Olympics.

In the letter, we urged them to reconsider any plan to fund the London Olympics by depriving the National Lottery distributors of the funds needed to support local voluntary and community sector activities.

We wrote not only on behalf of South Hams CVS, who work to support our local voluntary and community sector, but also as a representative of all the local charities, organisations and groups which use our services.

We also are asking you, our local voluntary and community organisations to write also to these MP's and help to defend funding for local voluntary and community organisations. Contact if you would like help in contacting these MPs.