10 memorable moments from the last 20 years that you played a part in

If one day stood out from the glorious London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics, it was Saturday 5th August when Team GB grabbed 12 gold medals in one day – including, in the Olympic Stadium, Mo Farah, Jess Ennis and Greg Rutherford. All our Olympic Champions that day benefited from your support in the shape of National Lottery funding, which gives them access to training, coaching, medical assistance and facilities – and the venues they won in were lottery funded, too.

We always knew The King's Speech and Colin Firth were world-class, but it was still nice to have it recognised: The King's Speech won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, in February 2011. And yet, without £1M of lottery funding the film might never have happened. Its box office success ensured that the lottery investment was returned to help fund British film-makers of the future.

National Lottery players can't quite lay claim to ushering in the 21st Century, but you can feel proud of the array of projects funded to mark the occasion. Lottery funding, allocated by the Millennium Commission, went to over 225 projects, including the Millennium Stadium (home of Welsh Rugby), the Millennium Bridge, the Eden Project, the Millennium Link and Millennium Coastal Park – the nation's biggest canal restoration and land reclamation projects. There was even time to build what is now one of the world’s greatest music venues, the O2 – or the Millennium Dome, as we knew it then.

After 18 long years it began to seem like Australia might actually get to keep the Ashes. Or it did until Monday 12th September 2005, when the England and Wales Cricket Team clinched a pulsating series 2-1. The Oval, the ground where this momentous occasion took place, and which is also used by the local community, is just one of 8,000 sporting facilities to have received lottery support.

On 3rd June 2012, an incredible six million people sat down to lunch to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 60th year on the throne. Thousands of Big Jubilee Lunches – hosted from the Isle of Lewis to the Isle of Wight – were made possible thanks to the Big Lunch, supported by a £3.5M lottery grant.

We're bending the rules slightly with not one but two Commonwealth Games: Manchester 2002 and Glasgow 2014. Back in 2002 £165M of lottery funding ensured not only a spectacular Games but also the regeneration of large areas of the city, including the home of British Cycling, the Velodrome. This year’s Games delivered yet another mesmerising celebration of sport and culture – and your support made possible venues such as Hampden Park and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, as well as the hugely successful volunteer programmes.

When fire ripped through the Cutty Sark, it seemed as if one of the nation’s most iconic treasures had been lost forever. And yet, in April 2012, after five years of painstaking restoration, the historic tea clipper was reopened to the public – all made possible by £25M of National Lottery funding.

While National Lottery players can't take credit for the marriage of the future King and Queen, you can claim a small part in their wedding day. Those of you watching the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge make their vows on 29th April 2011 may have spotted the Westminster Retable, the UK’s oldest altarpiece dating back to the 13th Century, it was restored with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1997 and continues to delight regal and less regal visitors to Westminster Abbey to this day.

On Sunday 20th July 2012, Sir Bradley Wiggins raised his arms aloft and crossed the line of the Tour de France to become the first ever British winner. Not only did National Lottery funding play a significant part in supporting Sir Bradley's development, but it has also given over £100M in funding to over 14,000 miles of cycle (and walking) paths crisscrossing the UK – so we can all play at being Wiggo for the day.

And finally… There were more tears of joy when Gary, Jason, Howard and Mark re-united yet again – and this time included Robbie. While lottery funding has never supported a boy band, we can confirm that it did have a role in Take That's eight sell-out concerts at Wembley Stadium in the Summer of 2011. And that's because, only four years earlier, the stadium had reopened as one of the world's finest multi-purpose venues – thanks to lottery funding. It's just one of the many world class music and sporting venues across the UK that have benefited from funding – The Wales Millennium Centre, The Sage, The Odyssey Arena, Hampden Park to name just a few. So all together now: “never forget what you’re looking for…”