The BIG Lottery Fund has revealed the final four finalists short-listed for the Living Landmarks: The People’s Millions competition.

Last August, six preferred schemes chosen from 33 applications by the Fund’s panel were awarded a £500,000 grant to create more detailed proposals on how they planned to regenerate their local communities, should they win the coveted £50m prize.

Final applications by the six nominees were then submitted to the contest organiser in June this year, which have now been whittled down to four finalists, due to compete for the award via a televised public vote to be shown on ITV1 in December.

The Black Country Urban Park, Eden Project: the Edge, Sherwood: the Living Legend and Sustrans – Connect2 have made it through to the final round, while Somerset’s Waterlinks and Inspired by The Science Museum Swindon lost out in the latest challenge.

Sarah Middleton, chief executive of the Black Country Consortium, said: “If our bid is ultimately successful the Urban Park will turn the Black Country ‘green’, with an environmental revolution that will enrich the lives of its one million people”, while Eden’s chief executive, Tim Smit, said: “To win such a prize would be the most fantastic accolade, as it would be chosen by the general public, the very people whom the project is aimed at – us!”

Austin Brady, chair of Sherwood project board, felt that this was “the best chance ever to give Sherwood Forest the recognition and investment that it richly deserves, and John Grimshaw, chief executive of the fourth finalist, Sustrans, said that “together with local communities, we look forward to doing all we can to win the vote so that we can bring real and lasting change to the everyday lives of millions of ordinary people all over the UK.” Details: www.thepeoples50million.org.uk