Restoration of Possible Rembrandt Made Possible by Players
The National Trust has today been announced as the latest organisation to receive funding from People’s Postcode Lottery. From the £100,000 grant raised by players, £20,000 will be used for a very special project.
A self-portrait bequeathed to the National Trust has been identified as a “lost” Rembrandt – a significant discovery. However the painting will need to be verified, despite the world’s leading Rembrandt expert confirming it as an original.
Jez McDermott, the National Trust’s Property Manager at Buckland Abbey, said: “It’s amazing to think we might’ve had an actual Rembrandt hanging here on the walls at Buckland Abbey for the past couple of years. We never dared think that it might actually be an original and many of our visitors will have just passed by it, in what is sure to be a real contrast to the attention it is now going to receive. Buckland’s Rembrandt is certain to become one of the many highlights of the property for visitors to enjoy.”
Works to verify the painting will include cleaning, as well as a full technical analysis including x-rays, examination of paint pigments, and infra-red reflectography to establish when the painting was actually painted.
Kate Pearson, Trusts Manager at People’s Postcode Lottery said: “We are delighted that our players will be helping the National Trust in its investigations of this intriguing painting.
“Everyone loves a mystery and we are very excited to be involved and as well as funding the investigations the painting will also be restored at the same time to ensure it can remain at its best for many more years to come.”
The painting will be on display for another 8 months at Buckland Abbey in Devon before the investigations begin, and once completed, will be back for visitors to enjoy once again in 2014.
If you want to help fund more projects like this and be in with the chance to win big cash prizes every day, sign up today. You’ll be just in time to get in to win our April Postcode Millions where a staggering £2 Million will be shared out!
More news coverage of this story:
Two New Charity Partnerships Established
This week, we were delighted to announce not one but two new charity partners. Players of People’s Postcode Lottery are now helping to fund:
- National Museums Scotland
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Each of these organisations has been given £100,000 to fund their wonderful work.
National Museums Scotland has chosen to use the initial £100,000 funding to support Scotland’s National Airshow which will be taking place at the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian on 27th July. This event is a great one for all the family, with lots of activities for the kids, a chance to talk to pilots and air cadets, as well as the opportunity to see Concorde up close.
Kate Pearson, Trusts Manager at People’s Postcode Lottery said “We are delighted that our players will be supporting National Museums Scotland, whose care and display of the National Collections make them engaging and accessible to huge numbers of visitors every year, supported by a fantastic programme of events and exhibitions.”
This funding announcement came at a good time, when earlier this week, National Museums Scotland were celebrating the release of statistics that showed one of their biggest museums, The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh is now one of the top 10 visitor attractions in the UK.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is also delighted with the £100,000 funding raised for them by players. The money will allow them to take their “Edible Gardening” project to the next level. This wonderful project encourages members of the public to grow their own fruit and vegetables, and offers advice on how to get started.
Ian Edwards, Head of Exhibitions at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh told about how this project has changed lives: “One young man, for example, who first came with a group of young adults at risk of homelessness has now joined up as one of the Project’s volunteers, proudly helping others to grow their own food. This funding will help benefit so many more individuals.”
So it was another busy week at People’s Postcode Lottery, but it was a great one. Lots of lucky winners scooping big cash prizes and lots of charities benefiting from the money the players raise.
If you want to support great causes all across Britain and be in with a chance of winning big cash prizes every day of the week, the sign up now. Signing up today will get you in to win our April Postcode Millions, where £2 Million will be shared!
International Women’s Day – Friday 8th March 2013
This Friday, March 8th, it is International Women’s Day. This is a day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women, past, present and future.
International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900’s, and in China, Russia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria, IWD is even a national holiday.
In the early 1900’s, women started to fight for their rights and slowly but surely, started to secure their right to vote. As time has gone on, women have continued the fight for equality in all aspects of life. International Women’s Day has become less about a reminder of the difficulties for women, but a celebration of the positive steps they have taken forward.
Many big brands get behind IWD every year to show they take gender equality seriously, amongst them, Virgin media, Skype, Enterprise, and BP.
All over the world, people are celebrating IWD with over 1,000 events, bringing different characters together to discuss the future, and throw gender inequality under the spotlight. In Gloucester for example, schoolchildren have been entering into a “Name Your Heroine” competition, drawing, painting or writing about a woman who has inspired them. In London, inspirational speaker Dr Samantha Collins will be talking about how women can create and shape their destiny.
Today, Oxfam have launched a wonderful project, well-timed for International Women’s Day. “Bags of Enterprise” is an initiative which helps local un-employed or low-income women find alternative ways of increasing their income. Oxfam assist in equipping these women with knowledge on all areas of handbag making, from design, to manufacturing and selling on.
To read more about this, see our news story on our website.
Everyone at People’s Postcode Lottery is supporting and celebrating International Women’s Day 2013, and we hope you will be too!
http://www.internationalwomensday.com
