The Big Winter Raffle raises £2624.50

The Big Winter Raffle appeared for the first time last year. Mammut, courtesy of an introduction from the guys at Trail Magazine, very kindly stepped up to the mark and sponsored the Clachaig Winter Mountain Safety Lecture series.

Funding had previously been provided by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, and before that the British Mountaineering Council. But in times of austerity, the series was under threat after more than quarter of a century of free lectures. In addition to funding the lectures, Mammut also provided a few top quality prizes for a raffle.

At the same time, the winter of 2013 saw some very tragic and high profile mountain accidents, and this in turn put a lot of pressure on mountain rescue services. It therefore seemed only natural that we would use the prizes to generate some essential funds for these voluntary teams. And the idea hit home. We asked local businesses for their support and they rallied round with some great prizes. We threw in a few ourselves and the Big Winter Raffle was born.

2013 went really well. Public support was also at a high, and we raised a little over £1800. In setting a target for 2014, we reckoned that we had our work cut out to reach that figure again. However, you've got to aim high, so we set the bar at £2000.

The final figure for 2014? A whopping £2624.50. Absolutely tremendous! We've completely exceeded our expectations. So there's a huge thank you due to everyone involved. Not least of whom is our Lucy, Queen of the Raffle tickets 2014, who's sold countless tickets, filled in countless stubs, and was rewarded numerous big hugs by our final night winners.

But also, there's big thanks due to Mammut for starting us off down the path towards the raffle, and all of the many local businesses who also chipped in and made it all possible. And not forgetting everyone who bought a ticket. We know that you're asked to part with the contents of your wallet at every turn, so your generosity is noted, and very gratefully accepted. Thank you for your support.

Thank you, in no particular order, to:

Mammut

Glencoe Mountain Resort

Letterfinlay Foods (Fort William)

Glencoe Independent Hostel

Glencoe Cafe

Paddle Lochaber
Gordon & Macphail (whisky merchants)

Kinlochlaich Garden Centre

Nevisport (Fort William)

Williams Brothers Brewery

Cairngorm Brewery

Isle of Skye Brewery

Sinclair Breweries
Loch Lomond Brewery

Wallaces Express
Glencoe Photography.

You are all stars.

 

Special thank yous also go to Anthoine who 'made us an offer we couldn't refuse' for the giant wooly mammoth that we managed to acquire from Mammut when they were looking the other way. And also to Maureen Cadden for the very kind donation to the cause. Your contributions are very gratefully accepted.

So where's the money going to? Half of the money has been donated to Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team.

The other half was earmarked for a local mountain safety training initiative, preferably in conjunction with the transceiver park at Glencoe Mountain. We're still looking into this, to ensure that the £1312.25 delivers the best bang possible, for the benefit of as many as possible. It's looking quite exciting just now, and we'll bring you more information about how the money is spent once a final decision is made.

 And a final thank you to our master of ceremonies for the last night. A fine job well done!