Good causes in north Northumberland receive share of £3,000 from Berwick Rangers Supporters Club

As the country went into lockdown last March, the supporters’ organisation was forced to pivot from its long-running weekly scheme after a hugely successful 30 years, with promoter Conrad Turner unable to do his regular rounds to collect money for an indefinite period due to Covid-19 restrictions.

It resulted in the launch of the monthly draw, with payments being encouraged via online banking. Within two months, more than 350 people had signed up, all paying £5 per month to be in with the chance of winning the monthly jackpot of £1,000.

The surge in sign-ups and its early success has also been assisted by the supporters’ organisation donating £250 per month to a group, organisation or charity in the Berwick area, with monthly draw members encouraged to put forward ideas for potential recipients for the committee to consider.

So far, the groups to have benefited from a donation are: Northern Soul Kitchen, Berwick Community Trust Food Bank, HospiceCare North Northumberland Berwick Rangers Juniors, Shared Interests, Red Balloon Playgroup, Berwick Pipe Band, Prior Park Primary School, MND Northumbria Group, Berwick Rangers FC Seniors and the Berwick & District Cancer Support Group.

Matty Moor, Berwick Rangers Supporters Club chairman, said: “I’d first of all like to say a big thank you to Conrad Turner who, for 30 years, provided a fantastic income stream for the supporters club through the weekly scheme and, as a result of the relationships he built up during that time, ensured most of those people have seamlessly transitioned across to the new monthly draw.

“When creating the monthly draw, we were keen generate community interest and good feeling towards both the supporters club and football club and believe the monthly donation to a local organisation has helped to achieve that, with many new sign-ups citing that as their reason for joining.

“The rest of the profits from the monthly draw – alongside other supporters club fundraising initiatives – is donated to the football club to help support the fantastic work

the new board of directors is doing.”

Sign-up by visiting: cutt.ly/sc-monthly-draw or email [email protected]

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