A Whittington lottery has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving for one man after he decided to donate his winnings to good causes.
Brian Storer won the £1,000 prize in the charity’s weekly lottery after his friend bought him a subscription to the fundraising draw for his birthday.
But the 75-year-old has decided to continue efforts that have seen him raise more than £100,000 for charity by splitting the money he won between St Giles Hospice and the children’s department at Queen’s Hospital in Burton.
Brian, who began fundraising following the death of his wife Helen in 1994, said:
“It was such a nice birthday present originally and it was a lovely surprise to be told I had won.
“I knew the hospice had been trying to call me but we kept missing each
other and then the postman said he had a letter for me from St Giles. I was shocked to open the envelope and find a cheque for £1,000 in there.
“But you don’t play the hospice lottery to win it, you play it to support St Giles and make a difference to the lives of the people who need their care, and I think buying a hospice lottery ticket as a gift is a wonderful idea.”
Brian Storer
Brian’s decision to hand back half of the prize to St Giles Hospice came after his son Martin received end of life care at the Whittington facility in 2018.
“Martin was in at St Giles for four days and his wife Kelly and I stayed with him 24 hours a day until he passed away.
“He received brilliant care – we could see how well he was looked after and we were just so grateful.
“The staff looked after both of us as well, making sure that we felt welcome and
explaining what was happening.
“We never felt under any pressure or that we were a burden or getting in the way, and they gave us bereavement support afterwards.
“The facilities at St Giles are amazing – the rooms are first class. You really couldn’t ask for better.”
Brian Storer
Alison Jerram, from St Giles Hospice, said she hoped more people would consider handing over a lottery subscription as a gift.
“We’d like to congratulate Brian on his wonderful lottery win and thank him for his
incredible generosity in making a donation back to the hospice.
“Gifting a lottery subscription is a lovely way to support St Giles Hospice as the
lottery plays a vital role in funding our work. Over the past 25 years it has
raised £20million to help pay for our work caring for patients, and their families, who
are living with a terminal illness.
“As only around a third of our income comes from Government, St Giles Hospice
relies upon donations and fundraising to raise the majority of £850,000 we need
each month to fund our care services.”
Alison Jerram, St Giles Hospice
For more information visit www.stgileshospice.com/lottery-gifts.
