It was definitely not a case of the January blues for one lucky Rother resident who hit the jackpot recently in the Rother Community Lottery.
Julie Bowles was amazed to find out she had won the £25,000 top prize in one of the Saturday draws last month.
Bexhill resident, Julie had only been playing the lottery for 13 weeks and her payment plan was about to run out when she struck gold.
“I was amazed to find out I had won the jackpot,” said Julie. “At first, I thought it was a scam but soon realised it was true. It was wonderful news!”
To mark the occasion, Julie was presented with a big cheque by Rother District Council at Bexhill Town Hall this week. Local councillors and representatives from Rother Voluntary Action joined the event to congratulate Julie on her win.
The Lottery was started by the District Council in 2022 to support groups in the area. It has now raised over £88,000 for local good causes.
Nearly 90 good causes are now registered. Players who buy tickets, can either choose one of the organisations to support or elect to give to a central pot from where funds are then distributed to groups and charities via a Community Grants Programme.
“I didn’t have a favourite charity or organisation in mind when I joined the Lottery,” said Julie. “But it was easy to check the lists of good causes and pick one. I chose Butterflies Therapy, Wellbeing & Training Centre CIC which provides mental health services to children, adolescents and adults.”
From every £1 lottery ticket purchased, 60p goes towards good causes. Players of the Rother Community Lottery have a 50 to one chance of winning one of the prizes, which range from the £25,000 jackpot to three extra tickets. The weekly draw takes place every Saturday.
As of last month, £45,000 has been won in cash prizes by players. £1,775 of this has been donated to the cause they are supporting. All Saints CE Primary School and Nursery PTFA in Bexhill has generated the most income at £3,100 with their 48 supporters to date.
If you would like to play the lottery, or you represent a local group or organisation that would like to sign up, please visit: Rother Community Lottery: Easy online fundraising for good causes – Rother Community Lottery
Published: 13th February 2025
