Health trust boss scoops lottery job (From Warrington Guardian)

Health trust boss scoops lottery job

FORMER council leader John Gartside has a new position to contend with - being in charge of millions of pounds of lottery cash.

Because Mr Gartside is one of 10 people to be put on the interim board of the Big Lottery Fund - a new amalgam of boards that will be responsible for distributing lottery grants.

The current chairman of the five borough's partnership mental health and learning difficulties trust, said he was looking forward to a new challenge.

He said: "It is much more of a national role for me and it will be nice to have the money to give out.

"The trust will have much more of a brokering role with bringing together partnerships from the health service and I am particularly interested in this."

The appointment has been made for 18 months and work started on Tuesday.

Estelle Morris, Arts and Lottery Minister, made the announcement on Friday.

She said: "I'm pleased to be able to appoint an interim board with such a wide range of talent and experience.

"Half the board members will be new, half will bring with them previous experience with the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund.

"They will play a key role in developing innovative ways to involve the public in the big choices about how to award lottery grants."

The new board, based in London, will decide which good causes get the grants from the lottery and will consider applications that are sent from up and down the country.