In the early days of lockdown 2020 I spoke with a couple of small UK charities and was made aware of how their forthcoming fundraising events had to be cancelled … and they needed the funds!

This made me think of how I might be able to help. I had a number of good contacts in the sporting world, so I asked them if they might each give me a sporting prize to help the charities. They all said 'yes' and so I created Sporting Chance Prize Draw. We launched our first Prize Draw in March 2021.

My first thought was that I wanted all (100%) of the money raised to go to the charities. This would be the precept of the social enterprise going forward. For me, this is vital. As a 'bidder' at charity dinners, I am always uncomfortable not knowing how much of my bid is actually going to the 'front-line'.

With Sporting Chance Prize Draw, I have been determined from the outset that all (100%) of the money raised goes to the charities. This will be forever more. The administration costs will always be paid for by private individual contributions or, as we get bigger, through corporate sponsorship.

The second thought was that the Prize Draw should be affordable for all. So, I focused on delivering a £10 message. For just £10 you could enter the draw and maybe win a sporting prize. And, even if you didn't win a prize, then at least you knew that all (100%) of your £10 was going to a UK charity of your choice.

Next year, for the first time, we will run three Prize Draws – in March, June and October. Each Prize Draw will be open for entries for two weeks. Once again, we are partnering with UK charities who will use the Sporting Chance Prize Draw platform, each confirming that they will make us central to their fundraising planning with an aim of raising a minimum of £10,000 each in 2025.

Simon Jacot, Founder