Richard Simmonite
Richard Simmonite

The number 13 may be unlucky for some, but for a charity based near Lichfield it’s provided more than a little good fortune.

St Giles Hospice’s Lottery is celebrating its 13th anniversary, having raised £10million since the first ticket was drawn in 1997 – while also giving out more than £2million in prizes.

Another major landmark has been reached this year with the drawing of the 125,000th winner.

Richard Simmonite, Commercial Manager of the St Giles Hospice Lottery, said:

“In the 13 years since it was established, the St Giles Hospice Lottery has gone from strength to strength to become the most successful lottery of its kind in the UK . We’ve now sailed through the £10 million fundraising barrier and we’re absolutely thrilled to have collected such a significant sum for hospice care.

“It’s thanks to our fantastic lottery members that we can celebrate such phenomenal success, and we hope this incredible support will continue long into the future for the benefit of our patients.”

The St Giles Hospice Lottery team hopes to continue its success by recruiting 2,010 new members in 2010 and by introducing the 2010 Play Again scheme, which encourages existing players to increase their chances of winning with an additional weekly ticket and urges people to rejoin the lottery if their membership has lapsed.

The Lottery costs £1 a week to play and each week more than £3,000 in prizes is awarded to lucky winners, including a £2,000 weekly jackpot. Everyone who signs up for a full year’s play will also receive a limited edition St Giles Hospice Bear.

Proceeds from the lottery pay for one in six of all St Giles patients and have also helped to fund the brand new Compassus Centre, a state-of-the-art replacement for the hospice’s In-Patient Unit, which is set to open on May 10.

Further details on joining the St Giles Hospice Lottery are available by calling 0845 370 6580 or by visiting www.stgileshospice.com/lottery. The lottery is open to players aged 16 and over.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.