A new community lottery is coming to the Vale of White Horse
Local charities and good causes in the Vale of White Horse will soon be able to get a funding boost from a brand-new community lottery being launched by the district council this summer.
The forthcoming new White Horse Community Lottery will allow players to choose which local charity their money benefits. Similar community lotteries elsewhere raise tens of thousands of pounds for charities every year.
The lottery will have a weekly jackpot of £25,000 and will be available for residents to play online. The draw will take place every Saturday, with a jackpot going to anybody who matches a sequence of six numbers. The other prizes are £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets.
The district council will not receive any of the proceeds, although some will go into a central community fund, all of which the council will distribute to good causes in the district’s voluntary and community sector.
Later in the spring, the council will be inviting community groups and charities across the district to a launch event to explain how they can get involved and benefit from the money raised.
Residents can get involved by buying tickets which will cost £1 per week with 60p going towards the player’s chosen local good cause. 20p of the remaining money goes into the central community fund, 17p towards the administration of the lottery, and 3p on VAT.
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Vale District Council Cabinet Member for Community Engagement said: “The voluntary sector has played an absolutely crucial part in helping our communities through the past year. Working with them so closely has made us realise how many great local causes there are in the district and we’re really pleased to be able to do something that will help them raise some extra funding.”
Cllr Margaret Crick, Chair of Vale of White Horse District Council said: “It’s been a tough year for many charities and community groups, and so we’re pleased to do what we can to give them a bit of a boost. This is a great way for our residents to give to their very local causes that are important to them and with a chance to win themselves.”
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Notes to Editors
From every £1 ticket bought online:
- 60p will go to good causes
- 20p to the central prize fund
- 17p to the external lottery management operator
- 3p to VAT
A voluntary or community group can register to be part of the lottery: if it provides community activities or services within the Vale; has a formal constitution or set of rules and a bank account requiring at least two unrelated signatories; operates with no undue restrictions on membership; is able to tell the council how it will promote the lottery to its supporters. Vale of White Horse District Council will use Gatherwell Ltd to run the lottery – the same external lottery management operator that many other local authorities use to run their community lotteries.
