Help save Art from the Olympics

If you are a British Citizen, or resident please go here and sign this petition

Stop the chancellor using Lottery money to plug the funding gap in the 2012 Olympics. If this goes ahead at least £900m will go from Big Lottery, Sport England, Arts Council and Heritage Lottery much of this money would fund projects within the local voluntary and community sector. Services to disadvantaged people will be directly affected by the loss of this funding, people who will have no opportunity to benefit from the Olympics directly but rely on local services provided by the voluntary sector.'

This is opposing the reallocation of resources to the Olympics of which the 35% reduction of grants for the arts is a part. To submit your name to this petition click on this link petitions.pm.gov.uk/lotteryolympics/

It has already passed the minimum requirement of 200 signatures to get an official response from Number 10 when the petition closes on 16 September 2007. If it gets to 40,000 signatures it would make it into the top 5 most popular petitions on the site! Currently, the petition in the number 4 spot is ˜Continue funding for the Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team'. Surely in the arts world we are able to gather a similar if, not larger number, of supporters.

Very popular petitions seem to generate responses from the Prime Minister prior to the petition closing, so this really is a great way to draw attention to our widespread concern and opposition to the proposed 35% reduction in Grants for the Arts funding.

Do forward this on to colleagues, friends, and collaborators encouraging them to add their name to the petition.