South Downs charity launches community lottery initiative to support good causes in National Park
September 17, 2019
A community lottery is being launched by the South Downs National Park Trust to help support vital projects in the National Park.
The charity is launching the online community lottery to help further protect and enhance the National Park for future generations.
Julie Fawcett, a Trustee and Chair of the South Downs National Park Trust, said: “This community lottery is an innovative way to support the charity’s vital work in caring for the landscape, biodiversity and local communities of the National Park.
“We want to see more rare habitats protected, more local communities thriving and more people able to access the National Park.
“This requires more investment and we want to direct the substantial goodwill that exists for the South Downs to places where it can make a real difference.
“A community lottery is one of the ways we’re raising funds to support our work. It adds an element of fun to giving that encourages people to sign up to a regular, modest contribution to the charity.
“With every charity’s budget under increasing pressure, it provides a great opportunity to help the Trust raise additional money to fund worthwhile causes.”
With a top prize of £25,000, the first draw will take place on Saturday, 19 October 2019. To mark the launch of the initiative, there will also be a bolt-on prize of a holiday in the South Downs.
The draw will be weekly with a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers and other prizes being £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets.
Tickets will cost £1 with 50p going towards the South Downs National Park.
A fully-accredited lottery management company, Gatherwell, has been appointed to run the initiative, having already launched similar lotteries on behalf of local authorities and not-for-profits, such as the Fire Brigades Union, with over 5,000 good causes benefitting from their lotteries.
The community lottery will help the Trust, which is an independent charity, fund a number of key projects including:
- Supporting more children to get outside and learn in the National Park.
- Improving walking and cycling routes, including refurbishing broken sections of the South Downs Way and creating new Miles Without Stiles routes for people with limited mobility.
- Working with Butterfly Conservation to plant 550 disease-resistant elm trees to support the recovery of the rare White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly.
- Aiming to re-establishing 6,000 metres of historic hedgerow providing wildlife corridors for a range of species.
Ben Speare, Gatherwell’s Managing Director, said: “We’re delighted that Gatherwell has been awarded the opportunity to run the new South Downs National Park Trust Lottery.
“Fifty per cent of the money raised will go to the Trust. The rest of the money will go towards the prize money, operating costs and VAT.
“Players have lots of options of how to pay, including monthly recurring payment in advance via direct debit or payment card, as well as the option to do a one, three, six or twelve month one off subscription by payment card.
“Winners will be informed via email and will have the option to transfer the money into their chosen bank account or to donate it back to the Trust”
Each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance to win a prize each week.
Julie added: “The community lottery is really exciting and I hope that lots of people join in.
“While this is a fantastic and fun opportunity for everyone, we want to remind everyone to play responsibly.”
For more details on the Lottery and to join visit www.southdownslottery.co.uk
Regular updates on the progress of Lottery will be posted on the Trust’s website and Twitter pages @SouthDownsTrust
The South Downs National Park Trust is the official charity of the South Downs National Park. To find out more about the Trust and the work they do visit www.southdownstrust.org.uk