Six independent retailers from Belfast, Bristol, Manchester, Ilkeston, Gateshead and Glasgow will appear on billboards in their local communities and on social media this week as part of Allwyn UK's 'Local Retail Champions' campaign. The campaign recognises the contribution of independent local stores in raising more than £10bn for National Lottery Good Causes.
Retailers Celebrated for Fundraising Milestones
Allwyn UK, operator of The National Lottery, invited these retailers to take part because each has helped raise more than £1m for Good Causes since they began selling National Lottery tickets and scratchcards in their shops. The retailers featured are Julie Campbell of Sinclair's Newsagent in Belfast, Pinku Patel of Causeway Card Shop & Newsagents in Bristol, Aftab Bhatti of Dynasty News in Glasgow, Priti Patel of John's News in Ilkeston, Umar Nasir of The Paper Shop in Manchester, and Phil Lawrence of Choices Newsagent in Gateshead.
Alastair Ruxton, chief impact officer at Allwyn UK, said: "The £10bn milestone is an incredible achievement by independent retailers, but a number alone doesn't tell the full story. 'Local Retail Champions' is about putting the people behind that contribution centre stage and showing the impact independent retailers help make possible in communities across the UK. We want independent retailers to feel proud of the role they play in raising much-needed funding for National Lottery Good Causes and for their communities to recognise it too."
Shopkeepers Share Their Pride
Julie Campbell, shopkeeper at Sinclair's Newsagent, said: "Our family has been running Sinclair's Newsagent for 26 years, so it's lovely to see the shop recognised in this way. Raising more than £1.2m for Good Causes across the UK is something we can share with our customers, as they've helped make it happen. With projects like Templemore Baths here in East Belfast, you can see what National Lottery funding means locally. That makes this feel about much more than having my face on a billboard."
Pinku Patel, store manager of Causeway Card Shop & Newsagents, said: "To know that National Lottery tickets sold at Causeway Card Shop & Newsagents have helped raise more than £1.5 million for Good Causes across the UK is something we can all be proud of. It's a contribution made possible by our customers, and this campaign is a chance to celebrate that together. From local community projects to much-loved Bristol venues, National Lottery funding supports so much across our city. It's great to know that our shop and customers are playing a part in making that possible."
Campaign Expansion and Retailer Impact
The Local Retail Champions campaign launched last month with films made with three retailers in Kent, Wales and West Yorkshire. Each received a visit from a famous face with a connection to their local area – Joanna Page, presenter and actress; Nicola Adams, the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion; and Matt Weston, double Olympic gold medal skeleton racer at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Allwyn UK has also sent letters to over 22,000 independent retailers who sell National Lottery tickets and scratchcards, thanking them for their individual contribution. Of those, 1,623 shops have raised more than £500,000, 469 have raised more than £1m, and 28 have broken the £2m mark. Two shops have each raised more than £3m for Good Causes. 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.
