A local charity has thanked Eastbourne Local Lottery and its supporters for raising more than £3,700 towards new supported living accommodation for people with learning disabilities.
The JPK Sussex Project is among 123 local good causes signed up to benefit from Eastbourne Lottery which has raised £186,261 since its launch in May 2018 and in the last 12 months alone has generated £51,417 for these causes.
Jill Parker MBE launched the JPK Project in 2001 to address the shortage of suitable supported living accommodation in Eastbourne for vulnerable children and young adults. Since then, the project has launched an ambitious campaign to raise £3 million for a new state-of-the art training and community centre with a supported living element.
The team now runs a café and community centre in Old Town to provide opportunities for people with learning disabilities, including work experience and training placements.
Jill said: “I would like to thank the organisers of the Eastbourne Local Lottery and its players most sincerely for such generous support. So far, we have raised £3,730 through the scheme, and none of this would be possible without the support of so many people. The JPK Project is making great strides and we are hoping to commence the building work of our new supported living flats in April.”
There are two parts to the Eastbourne Local Lottery scheme run by Eastbourne Borough Council. Local good causes are able to set up their own lottery page online and receive 50p in every pound spent by players using this method.
A further 10p in every pound goes into a general Eastbourne good causes fund, with the remainder being put towards prizes, operating costs and VAT.
Players who do not wish to support a specific cause can still take part in the lottery, with 60p of their ticket price going into the general Eastbourne good causes fund.
The council will be celebrating four years of helping local good causes through the scheme in June. Since launching, the lottery has paid out prizes totalling £46,750.
Councillor Rebecca Whippy, Cabinet member for Disabilities and Community Safety, said: “I’m delighted to see a local group such as the JPK Project benefitting from this initiative. The Eastbourne Local Lottery provides a great opportunity to help good causes in our town to raise additional money and we can see first-hand that every penny really does help.
“I am also proud that despite the council’s financial challenges, those with disabilities remain a priority.”
For further information, visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/community/eastbourne-local-lottery