Barry is in the money as ticketless raffle proves to be a hit
QUEENSCOURT’S first ever ticketless Summer Raffle proved a huge success and provided an unexpected windfall to its winner, pensioner Barry Higginbottom.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to rethink how we were going to run our popular Summer Raffle in 2020, instead of the traditional ticket stubs, loyal and new supporters simply returned a reply slip or paid online for 20 numbers to raise £20 each, which helps to fund one of our Queenscourt nurses for an hour.
Judith Stewart, Lottery Manager said: “We had a fantastic response to our first ticket-less draw and our supporters have definitely embraced the new style of raffle. There was no need to write your name on each ticket stub, no wastage of raffle tickets and it reduced our printing costs too. A Win Win situation!”
The winner of the £2,000 first prize was Mr Higginbottom, who has taken part in every raffle we have run since 1995. In an act of generosity, Mr Higginbottom, who lives in Southport with his wife Laura, has made a generous donation from his winnings back to Queenscourt as a contribution towards our next raffle.
Mr Higginbottom, who spent 40 years working in Hong Kong – first in the British Army and then for the British Government – first began supporting Queenscourt upon his return to Southport in 1995.
“I am a great believer in charities such as Queenscourt,” he said. “One of my friends passed away at the hospice and his family told me all about it and the great work it does. I decided then that I wanted to support Queenscourt.”
Great-grandfather Mr Higginbottom, signed up to Queenscourt’s weekly Lottery in 1995 and has also taken part in every raffle since then, but never expected to win.
He was at a loss for words when contacted by Judith to tell him of his success. “It is amazing,” he said, “I never win anything so thank you so, so much.”
Mr Higginbottom, who underwent heart surgery a few months ago, is going to put his winnings towards the cost of a new, more comfortable, car.
In a letter to #teamqueenscourt following his win, Mr Higginbottom said: “I congratulate you on the wonderful work you carry out at Queenscourt and will do my best to continue supporting you.”
In addition to the £2,000 first prize, our Summer Raffle also had a second prize of £500; a third prize of £250 plus ten runner-up prizes of £25 – all winners have been notified.
Judith Stewart added: “Coronavirus has had a dramatic effect on our ability to fundraise with many of our events cancelled. This has resulted in a significant reduction in our fundraising income, which is down by 68% on this time last year.
“We sold 22,264 tickets and received some fantastic donations for our Summer Raffle which helped make it the huge success it was. We are grateful to every single person who supported our campaign, as every pound raised helps to Keep Queenscourt in Service.”
For more information, or to join the Lottery, which offers a top prize of £1,500 every week visit www.queenscourt.org. uk/lottery.
Queenscourt Hospice is a local charity that provides free, high-quality care for the people of Southport, Formby and West Lancs.