A project which tells the story of how a small town in west Wales built one of the most iconic spaceships in science fiction movie history, is appealing for votes in order to be crowned National Lottery Project of the Year.

The Pembroke Dock Falcon Exhibition, curated by the Pembroke Dock Heritage Trust and which opened for the first time in May this year, tells the unique story of how shipbuilders in the small town of Pembroke Dock in west Wales were commissioned to build the Star Wars films’ iconic Millennium Falcon starship during the 1970’s.

The project has now beat off stiff competition from more than 1300 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects which do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.

There are 17 shortlisted finalists from across the UK, all of which will compete in a four-week public vote that started on Wednesday and ends on October 7 to be named the National Lottery Project of the Year. Winners will receive a £5,000 cash prize for their project and an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy.

The Pembroke Dock Falcon Exhibition opened in this year to tell the story of the town’s ‘worst kept secret’ - the building of a life-size Star Wars starship prop in the 1970s. Back in 1979, the shipbuilders of Pembroke dock were commissioned to build a very special vessel - a full-size version of iconic starship, The Millennium Falcon, for the Oscar-winning Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back.

Chosen because they had the expertise and the room for such an ambitious undertaking, the workers were sworn to secrecy, with the project even being given a special codename: ‘Magic Roundabout’.

Now a permanent exhibition in the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, it tells the story of how the iconic 23-tonne prop was built out of steel and marine plywood in a hangar over three months. The exhibition features photographs, previously unseen footage, testimonies from the shipbuilders and a detailed model showing the various stages of construction.

The exhibition received an £8,000 grant from The National Lottery in order create a permanent display in the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, attracting fans from all over the world to find out the secrets behind the building of such an iconic starship.

Mark Williams, Project Consultant at The Pembroke Dock Falcon Exhibition and local Star Wars expert, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the Millennium Falcon Exhibition has been shortlisted as a finalist for Project of the Year in the 2022 National Lottery Awards.

“George Lucas set a new standard in both storytelling and film making with Star Wars and the story of the Millennium Falcon being built in Pembroke Dock was big news at the time but sadly the story was forgotten, fading into a legend. The idea of a town in west Wales making a significant contribution to this incredible story by being the place where one of the most iconic starships in science fiction history was built, creates a mixture of disbelief, awe and pride.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, we are now able to tell that story again to a whole new generation of fans. We’ve been open to the public since May and the exhibition is already proving popular with people of all ages from around the world and has even prompted more stories about the construction to emerge from the families of the workers. It has provided a significant boost for Pembroke Dock with increased visitor numbers helping with the economic regeneration of the town which in turn has major benefits for Pembrokeshire as a whole.

“To win this award would be an amazing way to cap off a fantastic few months – we would urge the public to get behind us in our quest to be named Project of the Year!”

Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, added: “We’re so pleased to have received so many nominations highlighting the excellent work that National Lottery-funded projects are doing up and down the UK. It’s no secret that times are tough, so it’s great to see so many people and projects dedicating so much time and energy into giving something back to their communities.

“It’s thanks to National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes, that brilliant projects like these are possible. The Pembroke Dock Falcon Exhibition thoroughly deserves to be in the finals of the National Lottery Awards Project of the Year 2022. With your support, they could be a winner.”

To vote for The Pembroke Dock Falcon Exhibition, please go to https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/near-you/projects/millennium-falcon-exhibition?context=vote or simply use the Twitter hashtag #NLApembrokedockfalcon. Voting is open and runs until 5pm on October 7.