More than 600 tickets have been sold for the first draw of the new community lottery Get Lucky Local which guarantees at least £15,000 to good causes in the Richmond Borough ahead of the first draw this Saturday.

So far, 34 good causes have signed up to the lottery where 50p in the £ of every ticket sold goes to local groups and another 10p into a central fund for other causes.

Many groups are already well on their way to reaching their fundraising targets by encouraging their members or supporters to buy tickets at a time when charities are struggling to survive because of the impact of the pandemic.

Frontrunners include Hampton and Richmond Borough Youth FC, Hampton Hill Cricket Club, Teddington Cricket Club, Hearts of Teddlothian, Hampton Hill Theatre (home of Teddington Theatre Club) and Ruils, a charity which supports disabled children and adults.

One of the most recent charities to sign up is Missing People (www.missingpeople.org.uk) based in East Sheen which is dedicated to supporting those thousands of people who go missing every year as well as their families and friends.

The first draw takes place at 8pm on Saturday, November 14 with prizes of a £25,000 jackpot, £2,000, £250, £25, free tickets and non-cash prizes of an iPad and two six bottle cases of champagne.

A spokesperson for the not-for-profit lottery said: "We are at absolutely delighted and grateful for the fantastic and generous support shown by the community which recognises the challenges that so many good causes in the area face and also see Get Lucky Local as an easy way to show support and possibly win a prize at the same time.

"If you are a good cause which has not signed up there is still plenty of time before the first draw and if you haven't bought a ticket, please check out the good causes. You can make a difference for a cause close to home and close to your heart."

Sign up or learn more about the community lottery by visiting its website.

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