If you run a local community group or charity, sign-up to find out more about Allerdale Borough Council’s community lottery which will be starting later this year. 

The Council agreed in November 2019 that it would establish a community lottery to help local groups raise funds. Whilst the coronavirus pandemic has delayed the launch, it has also made it even more important that these groups have access to as many funding sources as possible.  

Therefore, the council has been working with the company Gatherwell on the initiative. Gatherwell has extensive experience of running lotteries and works with councils throughout the country.   
The Allerdale and Lakeland Lottery is due to start around Christmas this year. Once established members of the public will be able to buy a lottery ticket online for £1 a time, with a chance to win up to £25,000 a week.   

However, the focus of the lottery is very much on helping the good causes. For every ticket bought, supporters can choose to provide 50p towards a charity of their choice which is registered with the scheme. A further 10p goes towards other good causes in Allerdale.   

To find out more, the council and Gatherwell is organising an information event which, due to coronavirus, will be held online at 4pm on 5 October. To attend the event, send a name and email address to allerdaleandlakelandlottery@allerdale.gov.uk . Attending the event does not commit any group to agreeing to sign-up. However, attendees will find out more about how the lottery works and how it can help community groups raise funds.   

If you can’t attend the event, but would like to know more, send an email and the council will reply with more information.
 

Marion Fitzgerald, Executive member with responsibility for Policy, Governance and People Resources, said:

“I’d encourage anyone who runs a local charity or community group to attend the meeting on 5 October as it is a great way for them to raise funds, and for members of the public to show their support for good causes. 

“Of course, there is always the chance that players could come away with a winning ticket. However, this is about responsible gambling, with no instant gratification and with the focus of the lottery very much on helping local groups and charities raise vital income.”    

More info on the lottery scheme:

• Each ticket costs £1.00 of which 50p goes to the specific good causes signed up to take part in the Lottery. A further 10p goes to a central fund from which the Council can determine its use and which could be used, for example, to provide funding to other good causes. Thus, a total of up to 60p from every pound is made available to good causes. By comparison, the Health Lottery allocates 20% to good causes and the UK Lotto allocates 28%.  
• Players select which good cause they want their money to go to, and each 50p amount is directly paid over to that specific good cause on a periodic basis by the ELM.  
• Of the remaining balance, 20p is allocated for prize money, 17p goes to the External Lottery Manager, and 3p is VAT, which is reclaimable by the Council.   
• Participation is online (or telephone for those who do not have access to the internet) and no tickets are sold in shops, offices or on the street.  
• Tickets must be bought in advance and payment is via credit/debit card or direct debit. Evidence from other participating local authorities has shown that over 50% of supporters use direct debit as a recurring payment method, creating a degree of income stability. The other half buy blocks of tickets in either 1, 3, 6 or 12 month blocks. It is not possible to buy individual tickets each week as the focus of the lottery is to provide rolling funding for good causes.