What you’ve done to support Scotland’s golden girl Sammi Kinghorn
Scotland’s Sammi Kinghorn is just one of our incredible British athletes who picked up gold medals at the London 2017 Para World Championships. We share how your support has helped her and many others achieve their sporting dreams.
The National Lottery is proud to play its part in the continuing success of Scottish sport. About 150 Scottish sports men and women participate in lottery-funded-programmes, which allow them to train full-time, have some of the best coaching, facilities and medical support and compete on the world stage.
One such athlete is Sammi Kinghorne from Melrose, who in December 2010 suffered a serious injury, breaking her back after she was crushed by snow and ice falling from the roof of a building on her family farm. She had emergency surgery and spent five months in hospital, but the injury to her spine left her paralysed from the waist down.
While in the Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow, her physio took her to Stoke Mandeville Stadium to try out disability sports, a visit which led to her taking up wheelchair racing.
From the ward to the world stage
Like other sportsmen and women, Sammi benefits from lottery-funded programmes and facilities. Sammi went on to represent Team GB at the 2014 IPC European Championships in Swansea, where she won Britain’s first gold medal in the T53 Women’s 400m and she won further golds over 100m and 800m. She also represented Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and represented the nation at the World Para Athletics Championships.
Inspirational sporting journeys at all levels
But it’s not just elite sport that benefits from National Lottery funding. Thanks to our players, over 300 grants have been awarded to grassroots sports projects in Scotland.
These range from smaller projects like Crieff Badminton Club in the Perthshire countryside to larger schemes such as the Scottish Football Association who are using funding to support National Development Officer posts and nurture the stars of the future. Other examples of how your Lottery ticket money is invested into sport in your local community include:
- Livingston and District Dolphins Amateur Swimming Club for an annual gala and lessons for people with disabilities
- North Glasgow Football Development Group for a ‘Well-Man’ project in Maryhill, promoting healthier lifestyles and physical activity in the over 40s
- Kelso Wheelers Cycling Club, for a network of cycle trails through a local forest plantation.
So next time you buy a Lottery ticket remember that you’re helping to improve access to sports at a grassroots level – as well as helping to produce world class talent like Sammi.
Sammi Kinghorn attributes gold medal to National Lottery players
The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.
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