Torbay Lottery celebrates its seventh birthday on Saturday, 25 May 2024, and is shining a light on some of the local community groups that have benefitted from its support.

Since its launch in 2017, the Torbay Lottery has raised more than £227,170 for the local community. More than £53,000 has been given away in winnings, with seven people each winning £2,000.

149 local groups are currently signed up to the Torbay Lottery as a part of a fun and effective way to raise funds for their much-valued services in the community.

Torbay Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Events and Corporate Services, Cllr Jackie Thomas, said: “I am so proud of what we have achieved over the past seven years and the additional money that we have helped to raise for our communities, and hope more local groups will sign up and benefit from this online lottery.

“My thanks go out to everyone who has supported our local groups and organisations through difficult times over the past few years. We could not do this without the generous support of all the weekly players. Please continue to support us and encourage your local groups and organisations to sign up so they too can benefit.”

Steve from The Disabled Sailing Association (DSA) said: “The Torbay Lottery has been an important source of funds for us over the last few years.  It also provides a very simple and attractive offer to our members to purchase these tickets on a regular basis.

“The money is used to maintain our two lovely yachts and to ensure they are ready to take our disabled guests on trips around Torbay and further to Dartmouth and beyond.

“We have been privileged to have received the King's Award for Voluntary Service this year and as a result have attracted more people to join the DSA.  The Torbay Lottery is mentioned every month in our chairman’s message to our members and hopefully the money received back into the DSA will increase as a result.”

Rachel from dementia support charity Purple Angel said: “The Purple Angel Cafe is held on the first, third and fourth Saturdays of the month.  It is a friendly welcoming safe place for the community, not just for the person suffering with memory issues like dementia.

“The cafe provides refreshments and activities each week.  Some of the activities are arts and crafts, singers, visits from other charities - recently the guide dogs came - and trips out to places of interest within the area. Recently a trip on the steam train and ferry over to Dartmouth was enjoyed.

“Purple Angel also provides MP3 players to people who have dementia.  Music plays a massive factor with dementia patients.  The players are provided to hospitals, residential homes and to those within their own homes being cared for by family.

“All of the above is provided free of charge and this continues due to the donations given to Purple Angel charity, including through the Torbay Lottery.”

The Torbay Lottery has so far given out £91,136 to local good causes through the Small Grants Fund. This includes £11,000 match-funding in 2020/2021 to help local groups deal with the impact of Covid-19.

Torbay Lottery draws take place every Saturday night. Tickets cost just £1, and each ticket has a one in 50 chance of winning a prize every week. This includes an incredible £25,000 jackpot prize if you match all six numbers.

Good causes that sign up to the Torbay Lottery get marketing material and their own Torbay Lottery web page. They receive 50p of the £1 price of tickets sold through their page and 10p goes to the Small Grants Fund.

Players who sign up before 26 June will be in with the chance of winning a year’s home delivery of fruit and veg as part of a national prize.

To be in with a chance of winning go to https://www.torbaylottery.co.uk/

Good causes can sign up at any time via https://www.torbaylottery.co.uk/good-causes 

Keep up to date with Torbay Lottery on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TorbayLottery

 

Notes to Editors

Further information about Torbay Lottery

• Tickets cost £1, with 60p going to Torbay’s good causes, compared to just 28p in the pound for the National Lottery.
• As well as supporting their community, players can win prizes through a weekly draw - including a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers.
• There are two elements to the scheme. Community groups set up their own lottery page on the Torbay Lottery website and they receive 50p from every ticket bought through their page. Another 10p will go into a general good cause fund, with the rest going to running costs, prizes, and VAT.
• Torbay Council takes none of the proceeds and acts as the license holder.
• Players who have not chosen a particular cause can still support the Torbay Lottery. 60p from their ticket price will go into the general good cause fund which the Council gives out.