Community Lottery raises nearly £25,000 for good causes
In its first year the White Horse Community lottery has raised £24,868 for good causes across the Vale.
The lottery supports a wide range of organisations, voluntary and charitable groups. Many of them have different reasons for needing additional funding but all have the same goal at their heart – to support their communities and improve the lives of residents and our natural environment across the district.
The lottery is celebrating its first birthday today. Over the year 48 organisations across the Vale of White Horse have joined the lottery and have been able to benefit from the funding raised through tickets sales.
The community lottery was launched by Vale of White Horse District Council as a fun and creative way for voluntary and community groups to raise much needed funds. It enables people to support the causes they care about most and helps good causes to connect with their supporters.
Fernham Village Trust is supported by the lottery, and they used some of the funding they have received to give their pensioners a Christmas lunch last year. Neil Sutherland is a trustee, he said: “The White Horse Community Lottery funding is a great example of community support helping local elderly residents who would otherwise not get out to meet with friends during the festive season.”
Carole Gough is a co-ordinator at The Place in Faringdon. They are a community led project that works with families with children under 5 years old, she said: “We run sessions throughout the week to support children and their parents/carers and have a wonderful community of families who regularly attend and seek our support. We are very grateful to the lottery as the funding helps us with the £11,000 a year that we need to keep providing our services.”
Players of the lottery can choose which local good cause(s) they want to support when they purchase tickets and prizes range from free prize draw entries to a weekly £25,000 jackpot. Tickets cost just £1 with 60p from every ticket sold going to support charities and community groups across the district.
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “We’re so pleased that the lottery has been able to help so many organisations in the district this year. I’d like to thank all the supporters of the community groups, charities and voluntary organisations that are a part of our lottery for buying their weekly tickets and making a difference to the lives of residents in the Vale.”
For more information on how organisations can join the lottery and how residents can support good causes in the district, please head to the lottery website.
