Atom bank joins Great Northern Raffle business supporters

The Great Northern Raffle has welcomed Durham-based Atom bank as a corporate supporter.

Atom is backing the initiative on behalf of its staff, all of whom will be entered into the draw, which is free to enter with the option to make a donation. It is also providing a number of prizes for the Christmas Raffle including gift vouchers for House of Tides and By The River Brew Co. and memberships for Live Theatre, Sage Gateshead, Theatre Royal and Tyneside Cinema, to go alongside the top prize of a car.

The Christmas draw is being supported by Robert Forrester, chief executive of Bristol Street Motors, which has donated a 70 plate £17,000 Hyundai i10 N-Line in Dragon Red as top prize.

Entrepreneur Jeremy Middleton CBE founded Charity Escapes, which has raised several hundred thousand pounds for charity. The Great Northern Raffle offers charities a fundraising platform to help compensate for the lack of ‘live’ events, which Charity Escapes supports with prizes.

This year charities have had to cancel all the events such as sponsored runs, gala balls, and afternoon teas that raise vital funds and keep supporters engaged. Lots of the region’s charities are also dependent on grant funding which is now being rediverted to COVID-19 response funds, with devastating consequences for charity finances.

It is estimated that charities in the north will lose well over £200 million in income, at a time when demand for their services is growing.

Jeremy Middleton said: “It is fantastic that a number of well-known north east businesses have got behind the Great Northern Raffle.

“We’re deeply grateful to Atom for joining Bristol Street Motors in supporting the fundraising at a time when it is most needed to enable our region’s charities to help those in need of it the most.”

Edward Twiddy, Chief Customer Officer at Atom bank added: “We’re so proud to be able to contribute and to support charities in the north east during this difficult time. In addition to entering the raffle on behalf of our staff, we’re also adding some prizes to this year’s draw. As well as creating more winners from the Great Northern Raffle, we’re also backing the hard-hit hospitality and live entertainment sectors in the region by purchasing some great experiences for lucky winners to enjoy once we’re on the other side of this dreadful pandemic.”

Other corporate supporters include Car Gurus, Naylors Gavin Black, Urban Base, The Hanrow Group, HBB Solutions, Apex Bridging, Furniture Clinic, Commercial Edge, The Lakes Distillery, The Handbag Company, Durham Group, NRG, Homeserve and Kilfrost.

The raffle closes on 31st Dec at 9pm and winner to be announced on ‘Blue Monday’ - Monday 18th Jan 2021

The Raffle is easy to enter – text RAFFLE to 70215 for more information and you’ll be entered into the free draw with the option to make a donation to support the charities.”

Full details of the charities involved, terms and conditions and how charities and businesses can get involved are available at https://www.charityescapes.com/the-great-northern-raffle/

ENDS

Note to Editors

How does it work?

Text RAFFLE to 70215

To win the Hyundai i10, reply ONE to enter once & donate £5, TWO to enter twice & donate £10 or FOUR to enter 4 times & donate £20! To enter without giving a voluntary donation, add NODONATION after the message.

Participating charities promote their unique keyword to their audience / network via their own marketing campaign.

Economics

For every £5 donation received – the charity in question will get £4, The Middleton Foundation will get 70p and Donr (the text service) will get 25p plus VAT (30p)

That’s £4.70 from every £5 going straight to charity (or 94%)