A DOUBLE whammy of Fife based projects are celebrating and now appealing for votes after reaching the finals of the National Lottery Awards – the annual search for the public’s favourite National Lottery-funded projects.

And one of them is the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club whose track is on land outside Ballingry.

The Ecology Centre in Kinghorn and the Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club have both beaten off stiff competition from over 700 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with National Lottery funding.

The winners of the seven National Lottery Awards categories will each get a £5,000 cash prize to spend on their project, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and attend a star-studded glitzy awards ceremony to be broadcast on BBC One on September 26.

The Ecology Centre in Kinghorn, which offers environmental education, volunteering and training opportunities to people of all ages and abilities, is competing against six other projects from around the UK for the title of Best Environment Project.

Meanwhile, Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club, which was set up in response to a tide of antisocial and criminal behaviour by young motorbike riders, needs local votes to win the Best Sports Project category.

The Club’s Programme Co-ordinator, Dave Paton, said: “National Lottery funding has helped us respond to a community crisis. There were so many young people, running about the streets on off-road motorcycles causing accidents and injury to other people and themselves.

“We are delighted Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club has made it to the finals of the National Lottery Awards. To be named Best Sport Project would be brilliant recognition of the life-changing impact our project has had in this area.”

The Off Road Motorcycle Club's track lies between Ballingry and Scotlandwell and run a number of activities which helps avoid problems with young people using machines in such areas as Cowdenbeath Community Woodland.

Musician, activist and National Lottery Awards Ambassador, Professor Green, said: “All the finalists are doing an incredible job for the benefit of their local community and the work they do is hugely impressive. So what are you waiting for? Give them your support and get voting!”

To vote go to lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards. You can also follow the campaign on Twitter: hashtag #NLAwards. Voting runs from 9am on June 27 until midnight on July 27.