A Tuesday morning telephone call to a lucky winner is one of the perks of the job for Tara Ward
Tara took over as Lottery Administrator at East Cheshire Hospice three months ago and supervises an essential part of the charity’s fundraising.
The weekly winner of the £1,000 jackpot is chosen at random with a different volunteer performing the all-important task of pressing the button.
Tara said: “It’s the best part of the job when either myself, or my colleague Celia Stanley, make the call to let the winner know they’ve won. We’re making someone’s day.”
There are 6,000 members of the lottery and their support raises around £1,000 a day towards the cost of providing Hospice care to patients, their families and carers.
Apart from the weekly £1,000 top prize, there are 22 other cash sums. The £200 second prize is rolled over if it is not won, earning a potential £10,000 jackpot.
Tara, from Handforth, was PA to the Head Teacher at Poynton High School before joining the Hospice.
She said: “I’ve also worked in the corporate sector and the Hospice is completely different. It’s a lovely set up and everyone is here for the same reason because they believe in the ethos of the Hospice.
“The lottery is an easy way to support us on a regular basis. People can play online by filling in a form online and we also accept telephone applications.”
The Hospice needs £7,500 every day to keep going and the lottery has contributed almost £3.9m since it began in 1995. Tickets are £1 a week and players can pay via direct debit at £4.34 a month.
Winning numbers are published on the website. To join go to eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/lottery or call 01625 433477 (Ext 2).