Guildford Community Lottery Celebrates First Anniversary With a Special Weekend Prize

Published on: 15 Dec, 2019
Updated on: 16 Dec, 2019

Children enjoying a swim earlier this year thanks to Cherry Trees charity.

Guildford’s own lottery is celebrating its first birthday by giving one lucky ticket-buyer the chance to win an Apple iPad Pro this weekend.

Since the first draw in December 2018, the weekly six-number draw with a top prize of £25,000 raised nearly £60,000 for 123 local charities and community organisations, thanks to the sale of 100,000 tickets.

Sixty per cent of all proceeds from the £1 tickets goes to Guildford good causes, more than double the percentage donated by the National Lottery.

All tickets bought before this weekend’s draw, at 8pm on Saturday, December 14, also have a chance of winning a special Christmas bonus of that new Apple iPad Pro with 11-inch screen and 64GB of memory. Tickets can be purchased at www.guildfordlottery.org with a one-in-56 chance of winning a prize..

With organisations ranging from Cherry Trees disabled children’s charity to Ash Parish Dementia Action Alliance already benefiting from their supporters’ generosity, all Guildford good causes can add extra fun to their fundraising by keeping 50% of all ticket sales from their own dedicated, free Community Lottery page.

Cherry Trees used their Guildford lottery funds to provide extra essential respite care for children with disabilities at their base in East Clandon.

Over August, a most demanding month, the charity devoted 1,725 hours on one-to-one care, including a packed calendar of outings, activities, creative workshops and house visits, to give children with disabilities new experiences, develop their social skills and be celebrated for who they are.

“When someone plays the lottery through Cherry Trees, they are putting money to a cause families tell us time and time again that we are their lifeline,” the charity’s Anna Reid said.

“We are the safe place for their child to come, for a few fun hours of activities and entertainments, while their parents get a break from caring. All lottery tickets bought mean a lot to us, and we hope more people will sign up to play via Cherry Trees in 2020, when we celebrate our 40th anniversary.

“It’s an initiative which doesn’t require any extra work or time from our hard-working charity, and raised several thousand pounds extra for us in 2019.”

James Whiteman, managing director of Guildford Borough Council, added: “The lottery has enjoyed a fantastic first year, and I am delighted we have been able to help so many local good causes make a huge difference to the town.

“We’re always trying to find new and innovative ways to support local groups and organisations, and the great thing about the lottery is that it raises awareness of these causes and the needs around the borough.

“We’re delighted with the impact it has already made and we’re looking forward to helping even more people in 2020.”