Award for caring betting shop staff

Employees have raised money for charity

Betting shop staff have won national recognition for their fundraising and volunteering work in the community.

The William Hill shop in Johnstone’s Church Street was runner up in the first ever Community Betting Shop of the Year Award, organised by ABB Scotland, the trade body for retail betting shops.

The branch was recognised for its impressive fundraising and volunteering efforts, which include staff taking part in the KiltWalk for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and volunteering for Starter Packs, a charity which helps previously homeless people get settled into new homes.

Staff have also recently organised a foodbank drive for Renfrewshire Food Bank.

ABB Scotland spokesman Donald Morrison said: “We launched this competition because we felt it was important to celebrate the amazing work that so many staff do in their local community through fundraising and volunteering.

“Many of our staff have worked in the industry for decades and take a real pride in their work and in their local community.

“This community spirit is perfectly illustrated in Johnstone, where shop staff have been making a real difference to their communities for years.”

The bookies is also taking part in a joint campaign by William Hill and Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness about the disease across Scotland.

The campaign will run in all 310 William Hill shops in Scotland this summer and Johnstone served as a pilot for the project earlier this year.

“We are extremely proud of the Johnstone team and the many other shop colleagues across Scotland, who epitomise local community spirit on a daily basis,” said William Hill area manager Tracey Campbell.

Ladbrokes in Dunoon won first prize, with Scotbet’s Selkirk shop securing third place.

West of Scotland MSP Neil Bibby, one of the judges in the competition, said: “It’s clear that, for many people, a local bookies is much more than just a place to put on a line or a coupon.

“They can be an important part of a community – be it creating a busier high street, supporting local jobs, and even sometimes being an important way for vulnerable people to avoid social isolation.

“I’m delighted that the William Hill team in Johnstone have really grasped that community spirit.”

A local bookies is much more than just a place to put on a line