Independent retailers across the UK have raised more than £10 billion for Good Causes by selling National Lottery tickets, new data from Allwyn UK, operator of The National Lottery, has revealed.
The milestone figure has been raised by corner shops across the UK since The National Lottery launched in 1994. On average, 23p of every pound spent on The National Lottery goes to Good Causes, which has supported more than 680,000 projects across arts, community, heritage and sports since its launch in 1994.
Today, over 22,000 independent retailers sell National Lottery tickets and scratchcards, and of those, 1,623 shops have raised more than £500,000, 469 have raised more than £1m, and 28 have broken the £2m mark. Remarkably, two shops have each raised more than £3m for Good Causes.
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 has benefited from National Lottery 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, 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.”
Community Champions
Monty Dipoti, owner of Todmorden News in West Yorkshire, has 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 who was supported throughout her career with National Lottery funding.
Monty and Nicola visited Northern Powerhouse Boxing Academy, the UK’s first women-led boxing club, which received £250,000 of Lottery funding following a flood.
Kuljit Singh, owner of Premier Grand Avenue Stores in Cardiff, has raised more than £1m for Good Causes during his time running the shop. He was treated to a surprise visit by Joanna Page, star of Gavin and Stacey and Welsh icon. Together they visited Ministry of Life Education (MOLE), a National Lottery-funded education and outreach provider based in Cardiff that supports young people who are disengaged from mainstream education or at risk of leaving school without qualifications.
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 and Steve visited Charlie’s Angels Kitchens, a local not-for-profit organisation focused on tackling both food poverty and food waste, that has received £20k of Lottery funding thanks to retailers like Steve.
Nicola Adams said: “I would not have won Olympic gold were it not for the funding made possible by incredible independent retailers like Monty – they are the heartbeat of their local communities. Thanks to their hard work, Good Causes like The Northern Powerhouse Boxing Academy get the support they need, guiding the way for the next generation of Olympians.”
Joanna Page said: “The funds raised by corner 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 are the backbone of our high streets. Seeing the incredible work done by MOLE, funded by the hard work of people like Kuljit, is an inspiration.”
Matt Weston said: “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 deserve a huge amount of credit for their role in raising it. He really is a local hero.”
The campaign is supported by Allwyn’s Social Value Fund, which the company has committed to invest in social value initiatives.
