Power of the people
…dogs and horses. By playing People’s Postcode Lottery you’re helping great causes, too
there’s more to People’s Postcode Lottery than knocking on doors. Players have raised £500m for charities and good causes in the uK.
People’s Postcode Lottery launched in 2005 and it has raised millions for 7,500 charities, thanks to the support from its players. The lottery is subscription-based and a minimum of 32 per cent of each £10 subscription sold goes to charities and good causes.
This funding has transformed lives, communities and even helped our four-legged friends.
Dogs Trust has been working with People’s Postcode Lottery for six years and during this time the charity has received more than £12.3m. This money has allowed the charity to invest in additional highly skilled staff in several rehoming centres across the UK. These roles play an important part in dogs finding their forever homes.
Gemma Smith, from Beaulieu in the New Forest, started working at Dogs Trust in 2015 as a Canine Carer. Her dedication helped her progress to a position as a Training and Behaviour Adviser at the specialist Stepping Stones facility at Dogs Trust Salisbury. The stateof-the-art Stepping Stones facility offers an alternative to traditional kennel life for dogs in need of extra TLC and additional training and support to find a loving new home.
“The best bit is when we see the dogs progress through their training programmes and develop into a dog who is ready to find its forever home,” explained Gemma. “The icing on the cake is when they finally trot off with their new family. It makes the hard days so worth it.”
Similarly, Maggie’s, a charity that offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer, has received more than £14.2m from players. It was also one of the first organisations to start working with People’s Postcode Lottery, in 2008.
Maggie’s chief executive Laura Lee said: “This astonishing amount is crucial in helping us to support thousands of people living with cancer at our 23 centres across the UK. Without the ongoing generosity of players, we simply wouldn’t be able to reach as many people at what is possibly the hardest time of their lives.”
Michelle Burton has seen the benefits of this funding and says she might never have married her husband if it wasn’t for Maggie’s. Michelle, who is from Rutherglen, Glasgow, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and her journey through cancer treatment to remission was supported by Maggie’s.
“If it hadn’t been for Maggie’s, I don’t think I would be as strong today,” said Michelle. “The staff helped me every step of the way and were my rock.”
Maggie’s offers support not only to cancer patients but also their families. Michelle and her husband James had a few sessions at Maggie’s when their relationship went through a rocky patch. A cancer support specialist helped the couple to discuss their feelings and this got the relationship back on track – so much so they were married in July 2018!
This huge amount is crucial in helping us to support people
LAURA LEE ChIEF ExECUTIVE, MaggIE’S