UK National Lottery announces that it will be giving grant to trans children’s charity

The UK lottery have announced that they will be supporting trans children's charity Mermaids.

The charity became topical over the last few months with many anti-trans activists disagreeing with its right to exist. There was a call for the lottery to pull its grant to the charity but after lengthy discussion the lottery decided to continue its support for the charity. The charity which helps young people who are trans or non-binary is set to receive £500,000 or €575,000 over the next five years.

Mermaids and The National Lottery Community Fund The National Lottery Community Fund has confirmed that it will be supporting Mermaids with a grant of £500,000 over the course of 5 years. https://t.co/fgmRUJR84d pic.twitter.com/cNv3Y13ias

— Mermaids ??‍♀️ (@Mermaids_Gender) February 19, 2019

The organisation that gives family and individual support for gender diverse and transgender children and teenagers, has a helpline that runs from Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm. The UK National Lottery released the following statement this week;

"Following public interest regarding the proposed grant to Mermaids UK, The National Lottery Community Fund undertook a review of a number of concerns expressed in relation to the charity. This review did not find any grounds to withhold funding from Mermaids UK. The grant has therefore been approved by the England Funding Committee. As part of our grant management process, we will work closely with Mermaids UK to ensure they are supported in their development."