St Giles Hospice is encouraging local lottery players to think carefully about where there money is going when they hand over their weekly stake.

With £2.2 billion of National Lottery handouts that would previously have gone to good causes set to be invested in the 2012 London Olympics, for those who want to see their money spent locally there is a cause that’s much closer to home.

The St Giles Hospice Lottery – which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year – is one of the most successful draws of its kind in the UK and one in five of the patients cared for by the charity is now funded by lottery players.

With hospice centres in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington, between Lichfield and Tamworth, St Giles also cares for people suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses in their own homes across the region and is encouraging more people to support them, by switching to its local weekly draw.

Richard Simmonite, St Giles Hospice Promotions’ Commercial Manager, explains: “The opportunity to win big prize money is obviously a huge attraction with the National Lottery, but each week our players know that even if they don’t win, their money is being used to provide a better quality of life for people who are very seriously ill in their own community.

Nobody knows what life will bring us, indeed it’s often said that life’s a lottery, but with the St Giles lottery local people can be assured that they are supporting a charity that will care for many thousands of people over the years to come.

Taking part in the St Giles draw costs £1 and the proceeds each week play a vital role in caring for patients across the hospice’s catchment area, 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.

Each weekly draw sees over £3000 in prizes given away, with one lucky winner scooping a £2000 jackpot.

St Giles spends over £5million every year providing its specialist services. With just a third of this funded by the Government, the registered charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising.

At present, it does not have the money to care for all the people who need its help and is keen to increase the funds raised through its lottery by recruiting at least 2,000 new lottery players during its 10th anniversary year.

On Friday 13th July the lottery is upping the stakes to offer a brand new Vauxhall Corsa, worth £9000 as top prize, in addition to its weekly prize fund of over £3,000.

All lottery players receive a Discount Card entitling them to a discount at over 100 local shops and outlets. In addition, anyone paying for 52 weeks in advance can claim a free 10th anniversary teddy.

Further information on how to join is available by calling the lottery office on 0845 370 65 80