People’s Postcode Lottery Charity Gala celebrates £66.3m raised in 2016

The People's Postcode Lottery held its annual gala in Edinburgh last week at which it celebrated the £66.3 million that its players had generated for charities in 2016. This was £27 million more than had been raised and donated in 2015.   HRH Prince Charles and BBC’s Planet Earth presenter Sir David Attenborough joined 370 guests at gala held at Edinburgh's Prestonfield House. Sir David accepted a cheque for £250,000 on behalf of Fauna & Flora International, of which he is vice-president. He thanked players of the lottery, saying: “Over its 113-year history, Fauna & Flora International has saved species from extinction and habitats from destruction. Raising FFI’s profile as a leading conservation organisation will enable them to further educate and encourage people, businesses and governments to behave more sustainably. “I’m thrilled that the award from players of People’s Postcode Lottery will help them gain new supporters and join forces with them to stop biodiversity decline.” £2.5m Dream Fund winners announced Three winners of the £2.5 million Dream Fund were announced at the gala. The fund offers organisations the opportunity to apply for financial support to bring their dream project to life. Story Starters received £1 million. It is a joint project between children’s literacy charity Beanstalk, the Imagination Library, founded by country music legend Dolly Parton, and The University of Liverpool. The project aims to ensure children start primary school able to read well, regardless of their background and giving children the chance to write their own life story. From Surviving to Thriving, a joint project between the British Red Cross, the Refugee Council and UpRising, also received a cheque for £1 million. The project aims for all asylum-seeking children in the UK to be safe and cared for. Money Mechanics, a project between financial enterprise charity MyBnk, The Royal Association for Deaf people and The Royal London Society for Blind People, received a cheque for £532,000. It will equip deaf, blind and partially-sighted young people aged 16-25 with the money management, employability and life skills that they need to be financially confident and to take control of their lives. About the People's Postcode Lottery The People's Postcode Lottery manages multiple society lotteries promoted by different charities. Since 2005 players have raised £168.4 million for charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally. Players play with their postcodes to win cash prizes. They pay £10 for 10 draws paid monthly in advance with prizes every day, with a minimum of 30% going directly to charities. The maximum amount a single ticket can win is 10% of the draw revenue to a maximum of £400,000.      

from UK Fundraising http://ift.tt/2kbyTli