'A WHIRLWIND' is how lottery bosses have described mayor of Okehampton Christine Marsh after the hugely successful first town lottery draw at Okehampton Show last Thursday.
Cllr Marsh and her team of helpers sold more than 500 tickets at the show and people were flocking to sign up to the weekly draw which will start on September 5.
As well as a prize fund, Lottery EX20, which is the first town lottery in Devon, will have a community fund into which will go 42 per cent of the takings each week.
Tony Lock, who is development manager for lottery administrators Broadclyst Fundraising Society which also runs the Devon Air Ambulance Lottery, said it was a great idea and one which he believed was going to be a real success.
'Christine is a real whirlwind — if we could get her for the air ambulance fundraising it would be a great thing — she is really going for it in a big way,' he said.
In the region of 100 people have already subscribed to Lottery EX20 on a monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annual basis.
Mr Lock said: 'People are signing up at £60 a time — it is remarkable for a town project.
'It's wonderful for Okehampton. The people of the town are really feeling like they are part of something.'
The lottery development manager said with a population of around 5,000 in Okehampton, he would be looking at in the region of 1,000 regular members.
'I think the way Christine and her team are going it could be better than that— they are brimming with energy.'
Funds will go towards equipping Okehampton's new hospital, improving sports and leisure facilities and providing match funding for smaller projects going forward for grants.
Town resident Jean Kearon said she knew immediately she wanted to do the lottery as soon as she heard about it.
'It is a brilliant idea,' she said. 'You know where the money is going not like the National Lottery which goes to a lot of things I don't approve of.
'We are contributing to the health of our own community and that has got to be good.'
Peter Woodgate, who has subscribed to the lottery on a six-monthly basis, said the prize money, which accounts for 35 per cent of the takings, was not the draw for him.
'I never win anything,' he said. 'But I believe in the principal of the project. It will help so many people and is something I hope will be well supported by the community.'
Businessman Neil Hancox, of DIY Supplies, said: I have joined the lottery because I am a fan of the mayor and she is putting an awful lot of work into this.
'She is doing it for the good of Okehampton people and hopefully the town will benefit from it.'
Okehampton Newsagents owner Brian Sanders has agreed to act as an agent for the lottery as well as the White Hart Hotel and Heather's Florist. Tickets cost £1 a week.
'We agreed to sell tickets to help the town,' he said. 'The success of it will depend on the publicity — Lottery EX20 needs to be pushed down everyone's throats.
The winners of the special draw held at Okehampton show were: Mrs Medland of Dolton (first prize, £104), former Okehampton man Ken Parker now living at Par, Cornwall (second prize, £52), Mr Kearon of Okehampton (third prize, £13) and Mr Emmett from Winkleigh (fourth prize £13.)