Football club axes fund-raising lottery

A LOTTERY which has helped raise more than £14,500 for Henley Town Football Club will close at the end of the year. The weekly lottery, which began in February 2010 to help raise funds for the club, has not got enough participants to maintain it. Players buy numbers and the winner is the one whose number matches that week’s National Lottery bonus ball. About £14,500 has been paid out of the years.

A club spokesman said: “When the lottery started there were 49 numbers and 80 per cent of those were taken.

“When the National Lottery increased to 59 numbers the extra places couldn’t be filled and recently the membership of the lottery has fallen to a low and now less than a third of the numbers are taken.”

He thanked everyone who has contributed, especially John Bailey, Andy Bryan, Graham and Sarah Whittaker, Tony and June Kingston and Kevin and Lisa Siggery, who have all been members since the lottery started and between them they have paid £9,460 into club funds.

The final draw will be made on December 30.

Last week’s draw was not won, so the £25 prize money rolls over to this week.