UK corner shops pass £10bn milestone for National Lottery Good Causes, says Allwyn

Independent retailers across the UK have raised more than £10 billion for National Lottery Good Causes by selling National Lottery tickets, according to new data published by operator Allwyn UK.

Allwyn said the figure covers fundraising by corner shops since The National Lottery launched in 1994. The company added that, on average, 23p of every pound spent on The National Lottery goes to Good Causes and that funding has supported more than 680,000 projects across arts, community, heritage and sports since launch.

Allwyn said more than 22,000 independent retailers currently sell National Lottery tickets and scratchcards. Of those, it said 1,623 shops have raised more than £500,000, 469 have raised more than £1m, and 28 have exceeded £2m, with two shops topping £3m.

The operator is also using the milestone to promote its ‘Local Retail Champions’ initiative. Three stores—Todmorden News (West Yorkshire), Premier Grand Avenue Stores (Cardiff) and Borough Green Stores (Kent)—have been highlighted in a first phase, with further stores in Bristol, Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow, Ilkeston and Gateshead set to feature later.

Alastair Ruxton, Chief Impact Officer, Allwyn UK, said: “Most people in the UK live within half a mile of a Lottery funded Good Cause project, in no small part due to the extraordinary efforts of independent retailers who sell National Lottery tickets.

"The remarkable £10 billion local retailers have raised for Good Causes around the country has helped train Olympic and Paralympic athletes, fund award-winning British films and our world-renowned brilliant museums and galleries, as well as supporting thousands of vital community, education and heritage projects."