North Devon Lottery hits £35,000 mark

More than £35,000 could be distributed to worthy local causes by the end of the first year of a community lottery in North Devon if the first two months are anything to go by.

Launched in April by North Devon Council, the scheme has seen 77 good causes from youth clubs to village halls, arts groups and health charities sign up.

So far more than £5,000 has been dished out to groups and charities, together with £750 in prize money.

The North Devon Community Lottery had its first £250 winner in May, with players having a chance of winning up to £25,000.

For every £1 ticket bought, 60p goes to good causes in the area. 

Players have the option to support a good cause with each ticket they buy. 

Their chosen cause receives 50p, while a further 10p goes into a central fund that will be distributed to good causes. 

The remaining 40p is for prize money and running costs.

The Penguin Sports Foundation says funds raised will help them provide sport and rehabilitation for children with disabilities in North Devon which would otherwise not be available.

And Soroptimist International Barnstaple and District’s Irene Hockin said: “We signed up to fundraise with the lottery because it will allow us to raise money online all year round and enable us to purchase and put together anti-spiking kits which will be distributed to licensed premises around northern Devon.”

North Devon Council set up the lottery to help local voluntary and community organisations because they felt they could be disadvantaged by council budget pressures.

With continued reductions in funding from the central government and budget gaps needing to be filled, there was less money to fund other things.

Lotteries help smaller organisations raise income, and are a form of regulated gambling.

Local authority lotteries have to give a minimum of 20 percent of proceeds to purposes which the council is allowed to spend money on, but North Devon Council has chosen to deliver up to 60 percent of proceeds to good causes.

The council appointed an external lottery manager rather than establish an in-house lottery which would have cost in the region of £80,000 to £100,000 to set up, including a manager and software.

It decided there was less financial risk to use external company Gatherwell which runs the whole process, including ticket sales, revenue collection, prize management and licensing,

There is a one in one million chance of winning £25,000 with the North Devon Community Lottery but a one in 556 chance of winning £25.

Twenty people so far have won £25 and one person took home £250.

There have been nine draws since 6 April, and opportunities to take part in superdraws to win prizes such as meals or vouchers.

North Devon Council’s director of resources and deputy chief executive Jon Trigg said: “It has been amazing to see so many good causes getting on board to raise funds with the lottery, if the current trend of support continues for the year we could be distributing over £35,000 in the first year to worthy causes in the area, which will be a fantastic achievement and makes such a difference to a number of worthy charities, groups and organisations in North Devon.”