Independent retailers have raised over £10bn for the National Lottery’s Good Causes by selling tickets, data from operator Allwyn UK has revealed.
The milestone figure has been raised since The National Lottery launched in 1994. On average, 23p of every pound spent goes to Good Causes, which has supported more than 680k projects across arts, community, heritage and sports since 1994.
Today, over 22,000 independent retailers sell National Lottery tickets and scratchcards, and of those, 1,623 stores have raised more than £500k, 469 over £1m, while 28 have broken the £2m mark.
Remarkably, two shops have each raised more than £3m for Good Causes.
Local champions
Today (14 October), three such retailers, located in Kent, Wales and West Yorkshire, have been recognised as part of Allwyn’s Local Retail Champions initiative, each receiving a visit from a famous face that benefited from funding.
A further six stores, located in Bristol, Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow, Ilkeston and Gateshead will feature in a secondary phase of the campaign.
Alastair Ruxton, chief impact officer at 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 £10bn raised for Good Causes has helped train Olympic and Paralympic athletes, fund award-winning British films and our world-renowned museums and galleries, as well as supporting thousands of vital community, education and heritage projects.”
Fantastic fundraisers
Monty Dipoti, owner of Todmorden News in West Yorkshire, raised more than £2.3m for Good Causes since taking over the shop 16 years ago. He was visited by Yorkshire local Nicola Adams, the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion after winning gold at London 2012.
Monty and Nicola visited Northern Powerhouse Boxing Academy, the UK’s first women-led boxing club, which has received £250k of funding between 2018-2025 and helped to restore a flood damaged community building.
Adams said: “I wouldn’t have won Olympic gold were it not for the funding made possible by incredible independent retailers like Monty - they’re the heartbeat of their local communities.”
Surprise visit
In Wales, Kuljit Athwal, owner of Premier Grand Avenue Stores in Cardiff, has raised more than £1m for Good Causes while running the shop. He was treated to a surprise visit by presenter and actress Joanna Page.
The pair visited Ministry of Life Education (MOL Education), a National Lottery-funded education and outreach provider in Cardiff that supports young people, and has received £568k of National Lottery funding to provide personalised learning that helps them build confidence, develop practical skills and gain qualifications.
Page said: “The funds raised by shops around the country are vital for the UK’s arts and creative industries. I grew up going into shops just like Kuljit’s, they’re the backbone of our high streets.”
Local hero
Finally, Steve Weight has run Borough Green Stores in Kent for 32 years, raising more than £1.4m for Good Causes in that time. He was surprised by local hero Matt Weston, double Olympic gold medal skeleton racer at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, who grew up just down the road in Sevenoaks and benefited from funding through UK Sport’s Elite Athletes programme.
Matt visited Charlie’s Angels Kitchens, a local not-for-profit organisation focused on tackling both food poverty and food waste, that’s received £20k of Lottery funding thanks to retailers like Steve.
Weston added: “I should really give one of my gold medals to Steve. I cannot overstate the importance of the funding I’ve received from The National Lottery, and shop owners like Steve deserved a huge amount of credit for their role in raising it. He really is a local hero.”
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