HELP US TO HELP SCOTLAND'S OVER 50s BECOME BIG LOTTERY FUND WINNERS WITH PRIMETIME!
Frequently Asked Questions & About
What is Primetime?
Primetime is a Scotland-only initiative championing health, wellbeing and fitness for the over 50s. The Big Lottery Fund has teamed up with BBC Scotland to give you the chance to decide how to spend up to £3 million of Lottery money in television programmes to be broadcast in 2008. Through Primetime the Big Lottery Fund wants to fund projects that will help make older people in Scotland healthier and give them a sense of wellbeing, as well as encouraging better links between different generations.
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Why have you chosen to focus on the over-50s in Scotland?
For many people the age of 50 can be a point at which life circumstances start to change in ways that have implications for the future such as changing working patterns, retirement, caring responsibilities and the development of long-term health conditions.
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How did you choose the 18 projects for the shortlist?
Primetime launched on 30th May 2007 when groups and organisations from 6 regions across Scotland were asked to submit applications for grants of between £100,000 and £500,000 payable over a period from one to five years. Applicants submitted a simple Outline Proposal Form, setting out their ideas and outlining their project. The closing date for receipt of these initial proposals was 24th August 2007. The Big Lottery Fund then invited 36 organisations to submit a full application giving more detail on their project. Those 36 were offered assistance to help them complete that process. Each of the 36 went through a thorough assessment and a panel decided the final shortlist of 18 projects (3 per region) to go forward to the television stage. These projects were announced on 29th May 2008.
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What sort of projects were you looking for?
We were looking for the broadest possible spectrum of projects that will benefit the health, wellbeing and fitness of Scotland’s over-50s. Scotland has an increasingly older population and within the next ten years it is expected that half of our adult population will be over 50. Primetime will celebrate the contribution today’s over-50s make to Scotland and revel in the variety of activities and initiatives available to them to participate in.
Primetime aims to bring about long-term improvements to the lives of older people through the promotion of better health and wellbeing and encouragement and opportunity to contribute to their local communities. We also aim to empower older people to deal better with things that concern them and encourage better understanding and better relationships between older people and younger people.
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What’s involved in the television programmes?
Each of the 18 shortlisted projects will feature in one episode of a weekly six-part television series to begin broadcasting on Monday 25 August in summer/autumn 2008. BBC audiences will be encouraged to vote for their favourite project in each region. There will be 6 winners spread across Scotland. The BBC Licence Fee will not be used to fund the winning projects
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How will the voting work?
You will have the opportunity to vote by telephone only, during and shortly after each Primetime television programme in 2008. The project receiving the most votes each week will be announced in the following week’s programme. Each regional winner will receive a grant of up to £500,000. The voting system will be robust and fair and the Electoral Reform Society will have a representative on hand each week to ensure the votes are correctly counted.
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What are the six regions?
The six regions across Scotland are: North East; Ayrshire & South; Edinburgh & Lothians; Glasgow & West; Highlands & Islands and Central & Fife.
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When do the programmes transmit?
The programmes commence on 25 August 2008 with the North East; 1 September for Ayrshire & South; 8th September for Edinburgh & Lothians; 15th September for Glasgow & West; 22nd September for Highlands & Islands and 29th September for Central & Fife.
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If you have any questions that are not covered above please do not hesitate to contact us.
