HELEN LOCKWOOD: Bury Hospice celebrating 30th anniversary of lottery

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Bury Hospice Lottery, and we have been celebrating.

The lottery was known as the Red Rose Lottery when it was established back in 1994, and ever since its inception it has been critical in ensuring the hospice has a steady stream of income.

The lottery currently has nearly 8,000 members, and it costs only £1 to be entered into the weekly draw.

Players have the chance of winning cash prizes with sums of £1,000, £100, £50 or £10.

More than 1,500 players have won the top prize since the lottery began.

We recently held a day party to celebrate the momentous anniversary.

The 30th anniversary balloons (Image: Bury Hospice)

We were honoured to welcome many guests, which included, Brenda Caffrey, the wife of Colin Caffrey, the first Bury Hospice chair of trustees and first lottery member.

Brenda, who has fond memories from when the hospice and lottery both began, said: “It’s fantastic when you think that it has been 30 years.

"The lottery was a big part of my life for 18 years when Colin was the chairman.”

Brenda Caffrey (Image: Bury Hospice)

To help us celebrate on the day, Slattery Patissier and Chocolatier, made us a fabulous cake, which went down a storm.

We are grateful to John Slattery and the team for the hard work and continued support.

Bury Hospice chief executive Helen Lockwood (Image: Bury Hospice)

The lottery has brought in more than £8m in income to support our fantastic cause over the last 30 years.

More than forming a big part of our income generation, the lottery brings joy to those who win.

Some players have told us that the win has been timely, often helping them to book a holiday, fund some home renovations, or help a family member who’s going through tricky times.

The donated lottery celebration cake from Slattery Patissier and Chocolatier (Image: Bury Hospice)

Anthony Lord, head of commercial income, corporate fundraising and lottery compliance at the hospice, said: “It would be absolutely fantastic if we could get to 10,000 lottery members in our 30th year.

“Playing the lottery is a fun way of supporting the hospice and there’s a chance of getting something back - although we are very much aware that many of the people who play the lottery, play it to support the hospice and not to win.

"Nevertheless, we appreciate every single player.”

Each lottery member is helping the hospice to provide vital care and support to our patients and their families.

If you’d like to join the Bury Hospice Lottery, simply visit buryhospice.org.uk/lottery.