The Brixton Pound is launching a local monthly prize draw: the Brixton Bonus.
Every month the local lottery will give residents and Brixton regulars the chance to win £1000 in Brixton Pounds (B£), meaning the winnings will be put back into the local economy.
The Brixton Bonus opens to all members of the public for £1/B£1 an entry at midday on Tuesday June 16 via the Brixton Pound website.
The first draw will be on July 19 at the Lambeth Country Show.
The Brixton Bonus is the first regular prize draw to operate in a local currency and its revenue will be used to support local social projects and businesses through the Brixton Fund, a new micro-grants scheme designed to provide an accessible funding for grass-roots groups.
In 2009, the B£ launched as Britain’s first local currency in an urban area.
It is designed so money stays in Brixton, encouraging people to shop at independent businesses and build community connections.
Hundreds of businesses now accept B£s, selling “bicycles to burgers and massages to mangos.”
Binki Taylor, co-chair of the Brixton Pound, said the Bonus was “a win for Brixton every time.”
“There’s the winner taking home B£1000,” she said, “there are the local businesses in which that prize money is spent, and there are the local projects creating positive change with access to this new stream of financial support.”
As well as the B£1000, the inaugural draw also includes 11 runners-up prizes: a massage, shiatsu and osteopathy sessions from Brixton Therapy Centre, a £50 voucher to spend at Seven @ Brixton, a full day’s venue hire at Tulse Hill Estate worth £200, a £50 voucher to spend at Lowie, a gift from 20 Storey and 5 x B£20 cash prizes.
