A LOTTERY set up to help the community of Okehampton and district has brought in an income of £25,000 in its first year — almost half of which has been donated to local projects.
More than £4,000 alone has gone to the New Okehampton Hospital Appeal and £2,500 to the Devon Air Ambulance but, just as importantly, eleven other organisations have benefitted from the EX20 Lottery, which was the mastermind of Okehampton mayor Christine Marsh.
This, however, is just the start — in the next year Cllr Marsh hopes to double the number of people playing the lottery so the prizes will be higher and more money will go into the community pot.
She said: 'The lottery has brought in an amazing amount of money and it is nice to think so many people are benefitting from it.
'The money is not there for ailing groups to keep them afloat but it is to buy equipment and items so activities can be expanded especially for the youth.'
Set up at a time when people were disillusioned with the National Lottery because of all the money being ploughed into the struggling Millennium Dome, the local lottery was geared towards helping health and leisure projects in towns and villages within the EX20 postcode area.
The main beneficiary has been the hospital appeal, which receives 20 per cent of the lottery money and aims to reach its target of £250,000 by the time the new facility opens in December 2002.
The driving force behind the new hospital, Dr Paul Nielson, said he considered himself a double winner because not only had the appeal been given a major boost, but his wife had won the lottery three times.
'I think it is a brilliant idea and a great tribute to our mayor and her team,' he said. 'It has presented the people of Okehampton with something worth investing in.
'The new Okehampton Hospital is for the whole community and by buying a lottery ticket you are helping the plans come to fruition.'
Okehampton Table Tennis Club, Hatherleigh and Okehampton Guides, Northlew Football Club, Okehampton Otters Swimming Club and the Okehampton and District Council for Voluntary Service are among those who have received lottery cash — all they had to do was apply.
Chairman of the table tennis club Fred Phillips said the £700 from the EX20 Lottery was a very 'impressive donation'.
'We have had a lot of costs in getting the new Riverside Table Tennis Centre off the ground in Okehampton and we never would have made it without the lottery,' he said.
'The money has allowed us to buy tables and we are so grateful to this scheme — it is a wonderful idea and is doing a lot of good for Okehampton.'
Some of the other projects the money has funded have been a banner for the Okehampton Army
Cadets and a bingo machine for Okehampton Football Club so they can run events and raise their own cash.
More than 30 per cent of the income from the lottery goes into prize money and 40 per cent into the community fund.
In a bid to put even more cash into the community, the Devon Air Ambulance will no longer receive ten per cent of the money but a donation instead and there are plans to cut administration costs by running the lottery locally.
Cllr Marsh, meanwhile, is looking for new agents and volunteers to help her promote the lottery.
'I would love to get the number of players up to 1,000 this year so we need more outlets to sell lottery tickets, especially in the villages,' she said. 'I know there are lots of people who have thought about joining the lottery but have not got around to it yet— my message to them is to do it now before you forget!
'Let's make this lottery bigger and better so we improve the quality of life for all of us.'
Tickets, priced at £1 per week, are on sale at Sanders Newsagents and the Pet Shop (Station Road) in Okehampton, Greenhills Newsagents in Hatherleigh, Bridestowe Post Office, Meeth Post Office and Highampton Newsagents.