A local lottery that has raised more than £260,000 for good causes in the Harrogate area is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

The Local Lotto was launched to raise additional funds for voluntary and community groups across the area.

Sixty pence from every £1 ticket goes to Harrogate area charities, voluntary organisations and community groups, with recipients ranging from Age UK to Woodfield Millennium Green to Harrogate Hospital Radio and Samaritans.

Players, who must be aged over 18, have the chance of winning a £25,000 jackpot plus smaller cash prizes each week. To date, more than 900 players have supported 118 good causes and have collectively won £63,000.

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Saturday, 9 September, marks the fifth anniversary of the first draw.

Executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said: “Money raised from the Local Lotto, which was launched by the former Harrogate Borough Council, makes an important contribution towards keeping the voluntary and community sector in Harrogate and surrounding towns and villages thriving. It enables players to support the local good causes they care about most.”

Carol Chapman, volunteer fundraising coordinator for Harrogate Samaritans, said: “One hundred per cent of the funds raised from our collaboration with the Local Lotto go towards the running of our branch in Harrogate.

“This includes any of the local work we do with outreach, including our Rural Initiative, which helps us to get the message out to a hard-to-reach and isolated community that it’s OK to talk. We have recently visited the Young Farmers Rally in Thirsk and will be present at the Nidderdale Show. We couldn’t do all this work without the funding we receive.”

Find out more about the Local Lotto and sign up.