A Nottinghamshire civil war landmark and a Derbyshire forestry centre are set to go head to head in a competition to receive a visit from a BBC Radio 1 DJ and a TV comedian – as part of a celebration of the massive £30m raised each week by National Lottery players for Good Causes across the UK.

The National Lottery has launched a new Facebook campaign featuring BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox and comedian Rufus Hound.  Called ‘Cox & Hound Hit The Road’, the campaign will see the duo spend five days (14-18 November) driving from Scotland to the South coast to explore the projects that have benefited from National Lottery funding.

Where they go and what exactly they do will be determined by public vote through a specially-designed app on the National Lottery Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheNationalLotteryUK.

Ten projects have made the shortlist from the 365,000+ projects to have received funding since The National Lottery began in 1994, revealing a snapshot of the enormous range of Good Causes to have benefitted all over the country – from charity and community to education and the environment, from sport and the arts to health and heritage.

At each project, the duo will have to complete a challenge – from old-fashioned ploughing, woodland laser combat and Welsh choir sing-offs to tubing, sand sculpture competitions and Segway racing.

However, only five of the projects will actually receive a visit from the duo based on Facebook votes from members of the public.  In the Midlands region its Derbyshire versus Nottinghamshire and the battle will be fierce!

Sconce and Devon Park in Newark, Notts is a hive of activity that offers a breadth of opportunities for the surrounding community. An abundance of wildlife can be explored, there’s outdoor play equipment to drag the kids away from their computer screens and Civil War re-enactments centred on the famous Queen’s Sconce monument.

Rosliston Forestry Centre lies at the heart of The National Forest in South Derbyshire, a woodland haven offering outdoor activities, holiday accommodation, family fun and all-year round events.  Thanks to lottery funding, the Centre now offers a whole host of schemes that help people stay active, including cycling, woodland laser combat and falconry.

Road tripper Sara Cox said: “I think the roadtrip is a great idea chance to show everyone who plays or has played The National Lottery, just a glimpse of what their money actually means to local communities.”  Fellow passenger Rufus Hound added: ‘I’ve bought a few National Lottery Scratchcards in my time – I’ve even won a few quid over the years!  For those times I didn’t get lucky, it would be good to see the impact of that cash and how other people have benefited.”

The Facebook app and public voting is live on www.facebook.com/TheNationalLotteryUK. However, voting for each area of the country will close two days before the pair are due to visit. The project (and the challenge) in each area that receives the most number of votes will win, with the next leg of the journey being decided.

Midlands Regional Visit:  Wednesday 16th November

Midlands Voting Closes:  Monday 14th November

Over 70% of the 365,000+ lottery grants made to date have been £10,000 or under, benefitting local communities the length and breadth of the UK.