PLAYERS of the Mary Stevens Hospice lottery have raised more than £37,000 for families relying on the care of the charity.

Alongside the usual weekly hospice lottery, staff at the charity run a seasonal ‘Big Draw’ twice a year, giving supporters the opportunity to win a top prize of £5,000 every summer and Christmas.

More than 37,000 tickets were sold across the region for the 2018 summer draw, with a mixture of regular players and supporters buying one-off tickets putting their names in the hat to win the big prize.

Diane Moore, lottery manager at Mary Stevens Hospice, said: “Our lottery players make such a wonderful contribution to the hospice each week and our care simply wouldn't be possible without each and every one of them.

“This draw is always a huge source of excitement and the reaction we get when we call to let a supporter know they've won £5,000 is something we look forward to all year.

“So, congratulations to all of our winners and thank you to everyone who took part.”

The charity currently run a weekly draw which can be entered for £1 per week, with the chance to win up to £1,000 every week.

Within the weekly draw the hospice also offer a rollover prize, which increases £500 every week it is not won – currently standing at £5,000.

For more information on how to join the weekly lottery, visit the hospice’s website.