LIGHTHOUSE Poole is joining in with the National Lottery’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Over the past 30 years, the National Lottery has shown ongoing support for arts projects.

Lighthouse chief executive Elspeth McBain said: “This is a huge milestone, the perfect moment to reflect on the amazing, life-changing projects that have been made possible by National Lottery players.”

As a partner in the National Lottery’s 2019 Future Arts Centres campaign, Lighthouse commissioned Dorset playwright Andrew Muir to write The Heart at the Centre of the World as one of 40 new projects taking place in and around 40 arts centres as part of Here and Now, a national and local celebration of culture within communities.

Supported by National Lottery and Arts Council England it was created in collaboration with and performed by students from Bournemouth & Poole College.

 After being delayed by the pandemic, The Heart at the Centre of the World premiered at Lighthouse in July 2021 as part of Lighthouse: Outside, the venue’s response to being unable to stage shows indoors under Covid restrictions.

In 2022 and 2023, Lighthouse spearheaded Love Your Local Theatre, the National Lottery’s two-for-one ticket offer, in Dorset. The campaign followed its support in 2018 and 2019 for the National Lottery’s offer of free cinema tickets for players.