Raffle raises whopping £87,000 for hospice

A whopping £87,000 has been raised for St Giles Hospice, thanks to generous locals taking part in its summer raffle.

The money raised will be used to support the care of patients and their families living with a terminal illness.

Elinor Eustace, income generation director at St Giles Hospice, said that supporters have "overwhelmed" the charity with their kindness via donations.

She said: “Once again our dedicated supporters have overwhelmed us with their kindness by playing our summer raffle and making additional donations on top of their ticket purchases.

“We 've never needed our community more than we have done over the last 18 months. They have really stepped up with their amazing support, at a time when everyone has also been coping with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We had to temporarily close our charity shops and cancel our fundraising events during the lockdowns so our raffles have become more vital than ever in supporting our care services. The £87,000 raised will help to ensure that St Giles can be there for our patients in the local community and their families when they need us the most."

Prizes in this year 's summer raffle included a jackpot of £8,000, a second prize of £2,000 and other cash prizes.

The £8,000 jackpot prize winner, Miss M from Lichfield, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said: “I felt completely overwhelmed when I received a call from St Giles to tell me I had won first prize in the raffle! I was speechless. How unexpected and what an incredible thing to happen from supporting the charity in a small way.

“Donations I have made to the hospice came through knowing a very special person whose amazing spirit lives on through many. Thank you for all that you do St Giles. ”

The other top five prize winners came from Burton, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth and Swadlincote.

St Giles runs two raffles each year in addition to the weekly lottery, providing vital income for the hospice.