HOSPICE chiefs hope a new lottery draw will raise £25,000 for terminally ill children and young people.

And Helen and Douglas House hospice in East Oxford has revealed its weekly cash prize lottery has raised £37,500 since it was launched last summer.

A new superdraw will now offer other prizes such as a week’s holiday in a country mansion as well as a big cash rollover. The winning tickets will be drawn in September.

Fundraiser Jess Gallagher said: “We feel very privileged to have such wonderful prizes donated by generous local businesses.

“The charity relies on voluntary donations to raise over 80 per cent of our £4.5m annual running costs, and donations such as this go a very long way to helping us to reach that target.”

Miss Gallagher said: “We are hoping to raise somewhere in the region of £25,000 through the lottery summer superdraw this year – equivalent to over two years worth of medical supplies for both houses.

“It costs just £1 to be in with a chance of winning, so we hope as many people as possible in the local community will want to take part in the draw.”

The top prize of a stay at Chaucer Barn, Gresham, Norfolk, has been donated by Holiday Lettings, which regularly raises money for the charity.

The winner can invite up to 17 of their friends and family and also receives £500 spending money.

Company spokesman Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies said: “We were delighted to be asked to offer one of the star prizes.

“To contribute a prize that promises to spur lottery ticket sales for this wonderful cause is a fantastic opportunity for Holiday Lettings to con-tinue its support of the hospice.”

Also up for grabs is an overnight stay at Woodstock’s Feathers Hotel, with a Champagne tea at Blenheim Palace, a spa day at Oxford’s Randolph Hotel and a vineyard tour and wine tasting session for four people.

Each week, there will be prizes of £100 and £1,000 and on September 30, there will be a rollover prize of up to £10,000.

The hospice, which provides respite and end-of-life care for children and young adults, launched its weekly lottery 12 months ago, with the first draw on September 24.

Tickets for the new super draw are on sale at the charity’s 32 hospice shops or can be bought online at helenanddouglas.org.uk until September 24.

For information, call 01865 799150.

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk