Town lottery raises thousands for good causes

Kettering Town Lottery has been running for a year and raised thousands of pounds for local good causes.

So far, the lottery has seen 71 local winners of £5, £10 and £20 prizes – with the £25,000 jackpot still to claim.

The lottery has raised £3,500 in its firs year, with £2,600 spent on good causes already.

The lottery money has been awarded to three local organisations: Accommodation Concern, The Margaret Road Allotments and Groundwork Trust.

Accommodation Concern was given £1,000 to provide out of hours debt advice and housing help for local families, to reach people unable to get to them during office hours. They helped 27 people secure more than £5,000 in unclaimed benefit, provided debt and housing advice to many of those, and referred people onto other services.

The trial has shaped how Accommodation Concern provide services in future, with a new evening or weekend appointment facility available and having a local base in the community which people can easily access.

Another £1,000 was paid to the Kettering Allotment Society who will use it at the Margaret Road allotments to remove asbestos from the site.

Groundwork Trust has received £600 to construct hedgehog houses and a hedgehog highway along the Ise Valley to help hedgehogs get about safely in future.

Chair of Kettering Town Council's Finance and Governance Committee, Cllr Mark Rowley, said: "Thank you so much for everyone who is supporting the Town Lottery and local good causes; you are helping make Kettering a better place.

"Our next round of grants will focus on health and wellbeing and we will be asking for bids during the summer. If you know of any organisation who might benefit from a lottery grant, please let us know and we will get in contact with them. We are looking for groups who want to do something different, so the money can be used for trying out new approaches and new service ideas."