Exeter Community Lottery is a walk in the park for city Strollers club
Published: 28 July 2023
Community groups and good causes from across the city are set to reap the benefits of the Exeter Community Lottery.
The first draw took place last Saturday and subsequent draws will take place every Saturday evening, with ticket holders in with a chance of scooping a top prize of £25,000.
One group set to benefit from the Community Lottery is Exeter Strollers Walking Football Club.
Andy Hannan, of Exeter Strollers, said: “It’s so important to get funds from the Exeter Community Lottery because we have considerable expenditure, and we like to keep the costs for our members as low as possible so that we can get a wide range of people playing walking football.”
Andy has been involved in the Strollers since they began five years ago and has seen the club grow from just 12 members to over 85.
It’s an inclusive club for players of all abilities and backgrounds. Men have to be over the age of 50 and women over 40.
The club put on recreational and social training sessions on the football pitches at Wonford and on the 3G pitch at the City Council-run Wonford Sports Centre. The Club also play league matches and tournaments for those with a competitive nature.
“There’s a huge benefit for mental health and wellbeing as well as the obvious physical benefits,” said Andy.
“There are two strands to the game. You can play recreational walking football just for fun, which is what our Wednesday morning sessions are about, or you can play competitively. We’ve won a few trophies – we don’t win them all, but we try hard.
“It’s a game that gives people back their youth, the thing they enjoyed when they were far younger, they now get to enjoy again.”
Anyone who is interested in getting involved with the Strollers should email exeterwfc@gmail.com.
Cllr Martin Pearce, Lead Councillor with responsibility for Communities, said: “Really the community lottery isn’t about prize winning, it is about supporting good causes and putting money back into our community.”
More than 80 community groups, organisations and good causes from across Exeter have signed up to the Community Lottery and will get a share of ticket sales.
When people buy tickets they can choose which cause they would like to support. Fifty pence in every pound then goes directly to that cause, and 10p to a central fund.
A guaranteed 60 per cent of the ticket proceeds will go good causes – that figure is currently expected to be over £45,000 this year, based on current participation.
To buy tickets for the Exeter Community Lottery or to register a good cause, visit http://www.exetercommunitylottery.co.uk
Tickets cost just £1 (via direct debit or debit card) with the following prizes up for grabs:
- Match six balls and win £25,000
- Match five balls and win £2,000
- Match four balls and win £250
- Match three balls and win £25
- Match two balls and win three tickets
Draws take place every Saturday at 8pm with winners notified by email. Players can choose which cause to support when playing the Exeter Community Lottery.