M & D Country Care LLP is the latest island business to benefit from a loan from the IW Lottery

Partners Denise Wright and Melanie Newnham have been awarded £5,000 interest free over three years, and the money will be used to help expand the business creating four new jobs.

The company provides personal care, home help and gardening services for eldely and vunerable people in rural areas, and has just won certification from the Commission of Social care Insoection.

Based in Chale, M & D Country Care was formed this year and has already won its first contract with the Isle of Wight Council.

IW Lottery's magnificent seven

Seven is the magic number for the Isle of Wight Lottery.

The first lottery in England to be developed purely to create employment opportunities celebrated its seventh birthday by creating a seventh extra £1,000 prize every other week for 3 months. This is in addition to the £2,000 and five £100 prizes.

The birthday bonus prizes start in May so now is the perfect time to sign up for the Lottery, to join 6,000 other ticket holders who will automatically be entered into the extra draws.

The Lottery operates on a non-profit basis, and all proceeds are directed into a Loan Fund, which can be accessed by island businesses. Loan applications are assessed by an Investment Panel and are provided interest free to start-up and expanding island businesses.

In its first seven years, the Lottery has paid out £850,000 in prizes to more than 860 people, and issued loans to around 50 companies, creating more than 130 jobs. The IW Lottery also supports the Start Up Business Training programme and through this has given support to over 500 local people entering self employment.

All the Sixes – IW Lottery Introduces 6 Weekly Prizes!!

Exactly six years and six months after the IW Lottery was launched a new prize structure was unveiled by Chamber Group Marketing Manager Jane Aslett. “We are doubling the number of prizes every week meaning that the odds of winning a prize are approximately 1000 to 1 every week, for every entrant” said Jane. The top prize will remain at £2000 and it is now joined by five weekly second prizes of £100. “Keeping an idea fresh and exciting means you have to shake things up and we think this is a great way to attract even more players to the only lottery that supports new and growing businesses on the Isle of Wight giving real employment opportunities to assist the economy of the island ” Jane commented.

The winners will continue to be announced on Isle of Wight Radio during Andy’s breakfast show on Wednesday morning and in the County Press…and keep an eye open for the fantastic billboard poster on the way into Newport!

Real Island Food Company Benefits from Lottery Loan

Foodie Friends Rachel Foy and Jackie Phillips have been awarded a £10,000 loan from the Isle of Wight Lottery for their new business The Real Island Food Company. The company delivers Island produce to the home in much the same way as large supermarkets but customers can be assured that the produce is local. Rachel Foy commented “We wanted to use local food but as busy mums we didn’t always have the time to visit the markets and various outlets to complete our shopping. We realised that there must be other people like us that want to eat Isle of Wight produce but don’t have the time to source it. When we launched we were surprised that we also appealed to many retired people and gained a lot of business through word of mouth”

Already the company has an extensive website and new products are being added all the time. “We are going to use the Isle of Wight Lottery Loan to help purchase another van and for equipment to assist us to launch our own range of home cooked foods,” said Rachel.

Newport Deli celebrates opening with IW Lottery

“ Island Images” in Newport High Street has reopened under new management thanks to help from the Isle of Wight Lottery. The café and Deli is being run by Dino Karabasic who successfully borrowed from the Isle of Wight Lottery in 2002 to open Seabreeze café in East Cowes. With the loan paid off, business doing well and the opportunity to expand into second premises Dino again approached the Lottery fund committee to top up his funding. He has been awarded £10,000 to contribute towards opening costs and the purchase of equipment. Lottery Loans spokesman John Reddecliff said “He has been a great client and we were pleased to be able to help him again.” Island Images will create jobs for 5 people, 3 full time and 2 part time. “This was a very popular café and I want to maintain the name and put it on the map once again “said Mr Karabasic.

More Than One Way to be a Winner

Gavin Sullivan, owner of Wight Offroad Cycles in Sandown and Denise Train from Ventnor were both lottery winners in June 2007 – but in different ways. Gavin celebrated paying the final instalment on his £11,500 loan from the Isle of Wight Lottery which has helped his company exceed expectations in the first years of Business. Denise was the lucky winner of the weekly £2000 first prize and went to meet Gavin at his shop where he presented her with her cheque.

“The Isle of Wight Lottery has been brilliant for my business” said Gavin, who having moved into new premises last summer now plans to expand them further to accommodate the increasing business he is experiencing. “I’d recommend it to any new or expanding business; it’s been a great experience.” He said.

Denise meanwhile invested her winnings on a holiday.

About the Isle of Wight Lottery Denise commented “I’ve been in it four years and it was a lovely surprise when I won – I was really shocked. It was great to meet Gavin too and see where the Lottery money goes to. He said he couldn’t have got his business off the ground without the Isle of Wight Lottery so it was really good all round.”

IW Lottery Expands into Start up Training

From April 2007 the IW Lottery took over the delivering of the start up business training courses previously run exclusively by the Isle of Wight Enterprise Agency (IWEA), and now runs these courses in conjunction with the IWEA operating from the offices of the IW Chamber of Commerce in Newport. The programme has already evolved to deliver a more succinct course with a professionally produced workbook for attendees to complete and use as the blueprint for their future business.

“This change marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Lottery by offering bespoke training that further enhances a businesses chance of success” said Group Marketing Manager Jane Aslett. The course will include a degree of assessment to ensure delegates leave with a competent set of skills to enter self employment.

Unique island Lottery Creating Island Jobs for 6 Years

The Isle of Wight Lottery celebrated its 6th year of providing prize money to winners and interest free loans to island entrepreneurs on 11th April 2007.

During this time £715,000 has been won in prizes with the majority of the 650 winners using their windfall for either holidays or home improvements. The island’s business community has benefited from nearly £260,000 being awarded to 48 different companies which has created 122 jobs. Many of these businesses have gone onto further expansion creating even more jobs.

From a high profile launch in April 2001 with 2,000 entrants, the Lottery has grown to around 6,000 regular entrants every week. This has enabled the introduction of more prizes and the occasional special jackpot draw. Promotions with third parties have proved very successful and are a demonstration of the support the community gives the Lottery. Island businesses also offer support through sponsorship such as IW County Press, IW Radio and Nat West bank who continue to assist.

IW Lottery Loans Awarded to Diverse Businesses

In the Spring of 2007 two new IW Lottery Loans were awarded demonstrating the diversity of businesses that may benefit from the Isle of Wight Lottery.

“Get The Edge” is an ice skating and accessories retail and fitting business based on the Island. Sales will be achieved through their website and by owner Wendy Fishel visiting ice shows along the South Coast of England. Since launching in October sales have already exceeded expectations and the fitting service has proved very popular. “Get the Edge” was awarded £5000 for the purchase of stock. Wendy’s daughter, Gemma is enthusiastic figure skater and it was through her experience that Wendy saw a gap in the market as many skating outlets concentrate on Ice Hockey merchandise.

“El Toro Contento” (The Happy Bull) is a tapas bar opened in Ventnor. Owner Lorraine Coster Curnow and her husband returned from Spain after successfully running a bar in Catalunya for three years, partly funded by a Spanish scheme to help women into business. “We looked at Ventnor and really thought a Spanish Bar would do well here” says Ms Coster Curnow. A loan of £3000 was secured which has been used on building work, stock and rental expenses.