Penrith Lottery scoops two awards
Penrith's Chamber of Trade and Commerce has won two awards for its Pride in Penrith Lottery initiative.
It beat competition in this year's Action for Market Town to receive an award in the Social and Community Category was also picked as one of the joint winners for the West Zone. Competition from towns across the west of England was fierce with over 75 entries for the awards.
The lottery was launched in response to the need for alternative funding for community projects, groups and events and is one of only a few local lotteries in the UK dedicated to raising money for a town.
Beginning with an initial cash injection of funds from nine local businesses of £500 each (£4,500), in 18 months of operation the lottery has signed up over 400 members, given over £15,000 in jackpot winnings, over £5,000 in smaller winnings, donated £10,000 to good causes and still has over £25,000 in the "Community pot”" for other groups to come forward and claim.
The Pride in Penrith Lottery has continued to develop with the introduction of scratch cards and new ways to participate which have ensured that membership continues to grow.
The judges of the Action for Market Towns described the Pride in Penrith Lottery as "a fantastic project and highly transferable to other towns."
Richard Utting, promoter for the Lottery and Vice President of the Penrith Chamber of Trade, said: "Both the Chamber and board of directors for the Lottery are thrilled to have been given these national accolades."
"It is fantastic that we can set an example to other towns across the UK about how you can give something back to the community and make a difference to local area. The initial idea of the Pride in Penrith Lottery was to put the 'pride' back into our town and help local good causes.
"My thanks goes out to all those people who have supported the lottery; from the businesses who originally supported the idea, to the Board members who, voluntarily, give up their spare time and most importantly, to the members who give up there hard earned cash to support the lottery and its aims. With all this support we have been able to achieve this accolade and show others how it is done."
The winning projects now go forward to be considered for Action for Market Towns’ prestigious National Award. National winners will be announced by historian and television presenter David Starkey in October at a ceremony in Kendal.