Over 20 community groups and organisations recently attended the good cause launch of the Allerdale and Lakeland Lottery which was hosted by Allerdale Borough Council and the community lottery organiser Gatherwell.

The 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.

At the launch event, attendees heard more about the benefits of the lottery and how signing up is simple and free for groups and organisations. The lottery is open to all eligible community groups and organisations based in Allerdale. More information can be found on the lottery website: https://www.allerdalelottery.com/ .

Speaking at the launch Cllr Marion Fitzgerald, Executive member with responsibility for Policy, Governance and People Resources, said:

“We know how every community group – whether it provides advice to those in need or organises Sunday league sporting events – adds value to our communities and makes Allerdale a great place to live. We also know that getting access to funds is always a struggle for many of these groups. That’s why we have set up this lottery – as another way for you to raise much needed income, for the benefit for all.

"We’ve teamed up with Gatherwell who are the experts in all this. They have set up successful lotteries up and down the country which are providing much needed funds to many local groups and organisations. So I’d encourage any group who is interested in signing up to go on the website and complete the simple online form and see how you can benefit.”