Some charity grants miss out after CI lottery draw shortfall
FEWER charitable projects will receive grants after the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery failed to raise as much money as in previous years.
The Association of Guernsey Charities had 58 applications from charities that totalled up to over £600,000, but the draw raised only £190,077 – £22,600 less than the previous year.
Chairman of the association Malcolm Woodhams said the lottery was a crucial source of funding for the charitable sector.
‘It’s very disappointing to learn that the 2017 draw raised less than expected, especially when charities and their volunteers are working so hard to provide support and assistance throughout our community,’ he said.
‘The Christmas lottery has for many years been a highly effective means to financially assist a wide variety of local projects, and we are keen to work together to ensure its success, and ability to fund charities in the future.’
Mr Woodhams said the sector was being relied on to do more for the island but charities found it increasingly difficult to raise the funds to carry out their work.
‘Despite being less than anticipated, we appreciate that £190,000 will help a lot of worthy local projects, and we are grateful to everyone who supported the draw.’
The States’ Trading Supervisory Board is responsible for running the lottery in Guernsey.
A spokesman said that the decline in ticket sales was behind the decrease in revenue.
‘The sales this year were down on last year, which were also down on the year before,’ they said.
In 2016, ticket revenue was £1.2m., compared with £1.23m. in the previous year.
Scratch card revenue continued to grow in these years, from £7.7m. to £8.6m.
The agents’ commission was £1.33m. in 2016, with £532,000 spent on sales commission.
The 2017 figures have not yet been published.
Guernsey charities receive only the money raised through the Christmas draw.
However in Jersey, charities receive the proceeds from the Christmas lottery and all the scratch card draws throughout the year.
n The annual general meeting for members of the association is on Tuesday 24 April.
