Arts, heritage and sports projects which have received support from the National Lottery are among the 70 announced as semi-finalists in the 2012 National Lottery Awards.

Members of the public are now being encouraged to vote for their favourite schemes as part of the awards, which recognise the positive impact of Lottery-funded projects across the UK.

A total of 10 projects have been shortlisted in each of the seven categories, with Gateshead's Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art among the semi-finalists in the arts category.

Durlston Castle in Dorset; Glasgow's new Riverside Museum; and the restoration of Bute Park in Cardiff are in the running for the heritage sector award.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation's Think Fit programme in north London and a netball participation project - Back to Netball - are competing in the sport category.

Actor John Barrowman said: "National Lottery players should be proud that they are helping arts, sport, heritage and community groups near them."

Details: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk