The Best Charity Lottery Stories to Warm Your Heart

The difference between playing charity lottery versus a traditional lottery pool is that charity lotteries are designed to give back to the communities that they operate in! The impact of these locally-focused efforts can be truly heartwarming, and all the best charity lottery stories have a happy ending. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite feel-good stories from across the UK that will leave you feeling uplifted.

Keeping Beaches Beautiful

Did you know that the world’s oceans produce over half of the oxygen we breathe in each day? The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is one of the UK’s most active marine charities, working diligently to protect precious ocean life from pollution, chemical contamination, and unsustainable fishing. Thanks to charity lottery donations totalling a whopping £2,100,000 as of 2019, the MCS is able to organize and host volunteer-led beach clean-ups to remove litter and debris that is harmful to oceanic wildlife from the shoreline and preserve the beauty of local beaches. Their efforts bring communities together for a good cause while ensuring that our coastlines can continue to be a stunning natural resource for the next generation.

A New Approach to Mental Health

Because of the unfortunate stigma around mental health issues, so often people can be reluctant to seek help when they are truly struggling – causing their unresolved needs to fester over time and potentially put them more at risk. One very special charity lottery-funded nonprofit in Kent is working to change that through their unique approach. Mark Kilbey, a retired policeman and detective, founded Take Off to provide local residents with the support that was 100% service user-led. That means that anyone providing support has previously experienced the same condition themselves, and can truly relate to what their clients are going through! Mark says, “Sharing what I was going through with others who were also experiencing the same thing has been the key to getting me well and has given me the insight to stay well” – and now his work provides others with the same opportunity.

Feeding Young Minds

Originally founded in 2003, the work of Magic Breakfast now supports 480 schools in England and Scotland, providing over forty thousand children with “fuel for learning” in the form of a breakfast meal each day! Those simple meals make a big impact on kids – enabling them to have improved concentration, better educational success, and fewer behavioural issues throughout the rest of the school day. In the past year, funded in part by charity lottery contributions, Magic Breakfast has served over 2,800,000 bagels and 2,000,000 bowls of cereal to hungry children! Yum!

Growing Support and Social Connections

Green Synergy is an inclusive community garden and horticulture charity that uses gardening as a tool for building life skills, improving physical and mental health, and educating people about the environment. Made possible with support from their local charity lottery, Green Synergy is a welcoming space for people of all levels of ability, neurodiversity, or condition! One participant says, “Being autistic, I find it very hard to get on with people… I’m always on the outside, but I find a lot of people here have similar problems to myself which helps me socialise and help others.” This wonderful effort is increasing community green spaces, enhancing access to fresh healthy food, and creating connections all at once!

Which Was the Best Charity Lottery Story?

We want to hear your opinion on which of these stories you thought reflected the best charity lottery impact for a local community! Let us know in the comments!