Lancaster charity takes part in National Lottery TV advert

The team at Lancaster's Neuro Drop In have taken part in the latest TV advert by the National Lottery.
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The advert features many local charities, all thanking people for taking part in the lottery and allowing them to use the funding created to make a difference to people's lives.

National Lottery funded projects across the UK help people in need every day.

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And the Neuro Drop In is just one of hundreds of thousands of community projects supported every time people play the lottery.

Sharon Jackson in the National Lottery TV advert.Sharon Jackson in the National Lottery TV advert.
Sharon Jackson in the National Lottery TV advert.

Neuro Drop In is based at Stone Row Head next to HMP Lancaster Farms, and supports people affected by neurological conditions and their families.

Lottery funding was awarded to the centre last year to help towards its running costs for three years.

Charity founder Sharon Jackson features in the advert, along with office manager Laura Duncalf (and her cat!) and trustee Rachel Gibson.

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"It was all a bit of a rush but we are so happy with how the video turned out," she said. "I was just thrilled because we are a small organisation, so it gives confidence to other small charities.

"It was quite challenging with us all being in different places rather than at the centre. They gave me a script but I just couldn't stick to it, I kept fluffing my lines, so in the end I just sent it off without any talking, just smiling.

"They seemed to like it and they have used us a lot in the advert, and have asked us to do some more media work in the future.

"The exposure has been amazing for us, it's been quite exciting and a great experience."

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The Neuro Drop In has been forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Sharon continues to be in daily contact with its users, many of whom are now joining in online chats and an online choir to help keep them all connected.

"It's hard enough for people who are living with illness anyway, but when you have got the added threat of something like this it can be really challenging," she said.

"We just want people to feel a bit connected to other people, so we are trying to support everyone as much as we can from a distance."

In the coming days, Sharon will also be adding home exercise videos specifically aimed at people with neurological conditions to the charity's Facebook page, along with mindfulness videos.

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She is also trying to raise £2,000 in order to send some small treats around to all the centre users to cheer them up.

As we reported in February the charity is looking for a new home after being told by the Ministry of Justice to vacate their building by the end of June.

However, Sharon now hopes for a stay of execution as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

"We are going to come out the other side of all this to a very changed place," Sharon added. "I hope and think the prison service will be understanding about that because we are just not in a position to move now.

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"We have had to cancel all our fundraising events so we have no income whatsoever. It feels like the carpet has been pulled out from under us.

"But this whole crisis has proved how important what we do is - our members need us."