Lottery winner Linda makes donation to St Giles
Howard Lake | 19 February 2008 | News
Generous lottery player Linda Fry scooped £4,000 in the St Giles Hospice Big Bonanza Draw – and has immediately given a share of her winnings back to the charity.
Linda, 52, from Burntwood, lost her husband Kerry to liver cancer four years ago. He had been cared for by St Giles Hospice.
The catering supervisor for Chase Terrace Primary School said she was ‘delighted’ to win the draw, adding that she hadn’t decided what to do with her windfall, but that she would be giving a share back to the hospice as a special thank you for the support it has provided to her family over the years.
Kerry worked as a diamond setter in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, prior to receiving medical treatment and emotional support both at the hospice and from St Giles nurses at home before he died in December 2003, aged just 49.
“All the staff and volunteers were wonderful and couldn’t have done more for Kerry and our family,” said Linda, who has two children, Antoni (30) and Adam (28). “They were always there for us and thanks to them, despite his illness Kerry said he loved his time at the hospice.”
Linda had been a supporter of St Giles since her brother-in-law was cared for by the charity, before Kerry became ill. “As a family we always try to give them what we can, and I play the Hospice Lottery every week. We are so lucky to have a wonderful and caring organisation like this locally – we should all do our best to support St Giles.”
Over 50,000 £1 tickets were sold in the run up to the draw. In total, more than £40,000 was raised to help the hospice care for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.
There were 269 prizes up for grabs with a total prize fund of £10,000, including the £4,000 jackpot won by Linda and two runner-up prizes of £1,000 each.
Richard Simmonite, St Giles Hospice Promotions’ Commercial Manager, said: ”Our congratulations go to Linda and we are extremely grateful for her kind donation to St Giles.
“This is the fifth year we have held the Big Bonanza Draw and we would like to thank everyone who has taken part during this time – the money raised through the draw ensures that the valuable work the hospice does in the local community can continue.”
Since the Big Draw began in 2003, it has raised a total of over £245,000 for St Giles Hospice.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the hospice, the lottery is are holding a summer raffle – with a brand new silver Vauxhall Corsa up for grabs thanks to Steve Thompson Cars of Lichfield. With over 200 other prizes ranging from £5 to £2,500 there are plenty of reasons to take part.
Tickets will be available from March 2008, and further details are available by calling 0845 370 65 80 or visiting www.stgileshospice.com/lottery.
St Giles Hospice spends over £5million every year providing its specialist services. With just a third of this funded by the Government, St Giles relies heavily on donations and fundraising – including proceeds from the St Giles Hospice Lottery and initiatives such as the Big Bonanza Draw, 14 St Giles hospice shops and various fundraising events generously supported by the local community which St Giles Hospice serves.
St Giles Hospice is a registered charity offering high-quality medical and nursing care for people with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and carers.
Patients come from across the hospice’s catchment area, which ranges from Ashby de la Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south.
Care is offered at the hospice’s facilities in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington between Lichfield and Tamworth, or in patients’ own homes across the region.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.