Lottery aims to support good causes

The Gosport Community Lottery was officially launched yesterday afternoon, with the aim of providing an extra boost to the community.

Organised by Gosport Voluntary Action, Gosport Borough Council and Gatherwell, the community lottery gives entrants a 1 in 50 chance of winning, with 60 per cent of each ticket (£1 each).

Ian Reeves, trustee at Gosport Voluntary Action, said: ‘The Gosport Community Lottery is an opportunity for the various good causes in the town, for the players and for the borough to become more self-sufficient when it comes to our charities and good causes.

‘There are so many people who will benefit from the community lottery – it’s a great thing for us to do as a town as a way of supporting these causes.

Ben Speare from Gatherwell said: ‘The key thing about the Gosport Community Lottery is that it is about supporting good causes across Gosport.

‘There is a lot of valuable work that is done locally in the community and it is important that we do something to support this work.’

Tickets will cost £1, with entrants picking a combination of six numbers between zero and nine.

They can then either choose for money to go towards a community pot, or pick a specific good cause to support.

Mr Speare explained: ‘What makes this significantly different to other lotteries is that by choosing which cause they want to support, people can do something positive for a group that is close to their heart.

‘The income then comes into the causes on a monthly basis, so that they can plan in advance what they will do with the money.’

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has given her backing to the new scheme, saying that it will be a great new way to support groups in the area.

Ms Dinenage officially launched the lottery with the ceremonial cake slicing at the event.

She said: ‘It is such a pleasure to be here and I would like to thank Gosport Voluntary Action for everything that they have done to get this scheme off the ground.

‘At a meeting with fellow ministers from Norway and Denmark today I was reminded of groups like the Men’s Shed – which don’t exist over there.

‘We are incredibly lucky to have so many good causes and such a vibrant community here in Gosport.

‘I have had the pleasure of meeting so many of these people who support others in the community and see the amazing work they do for others.

‘It’s wonderful to be in such a great area with a strong sense of community and I hope this will help this work to continue.’

The lottery will be opened to players on July 23, with the first draw taking place on September 8.