South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has donated an incredible £25,000 to us – its latest donation from its internal lottery, which has been running for almost three decades.
The service’s lottery has four draws a year, with a large percentage of the money raised from it each year coming directly to us, while the rest is put back towards prize money.
And the latest donation follows just 18 months of plays.
Matt Gillatt, an Area Manager who helps to run the lottery, says: “This lottery has been fantastic to help run over the years, and seeing winners’ reactions is particularly moving for me. The top prize each time is £7,000 and that can be life-changing for people – all while knowing you’re supporting the Charity.
“I know a lot of colleagues and their families who have been helped by The Fire Fighters Charity, so I understand the importance of supporting it and what a tough time all charities went through during Covid, especially with fundraising activities stopping. Now it feels like people are really trying to get behind the Charity again and it’s great to see. It’s such an important cause to support.”
He met with the service’s Chief Fire Officer, Chris Kirby, and our Community Fundraiser Alex Byers to present the cheque to us recently.
Alex says: “South Yorkshire has been a fantastic supporter of ours for years and this generous donation is evidence of that dedicated support.
“On behalf of everyone at The Fire Fighters Charity, I want to send my heartfelt thanks to all those involved in the service’s lottery and all those who took part, we couldn’t continue offering our life-changing support without you.”