Frequently asked questions

Find the answers to some of the most frequently asked lottery questions.

How does the Weekly Lottery work?

You will receive a 6-digit lottery number when you enter. And every Friday you will be entered into our draw. The winning numbers is chosen at random.

You can have a maximum of 20 chances per draw (£20 spend per draw), giving you even more chances to win one of our fantastic prizes.

Prizes are issued and posted to the winner directly, there is no need to claim.

How old must I be to enter?

You must be at least 18 years old to enter The Children's Trust Weekly Lottery.

Can I choose my own lottery numbers?

When you enter the lottery, you will be sent a unique 6-digit number. This number will be chosen at random and will be your number for as long as you play our lottery.

How much does The Children's Trust make from each £1 played?

For each £1 we raise through our lottery, The Children's Trust receives 60p (60%).

The rest is to pay for the prizes (18.4%) and the cost of administration (21.6%).

When paying by Direct Debit, why is it £4.34 per month?

Each chance in the lottery costs £1 a week. Your Direct debit will be collected monthly. Some months will have five weeks and some months will have four. The additional 34p will build up credit to cover the months where there are five weeks.

How will I know if I'm in the draw?

Within 21 days of signing up you will receive a letter of confirmation which includes your unique lottery number(s). You will also be given the date you will first be included in the draw.

How will I know if I've won?

When the draw takes place, all winners will be sent notification by post or email. You will not need to claim your prize.

If you match 4 digits or more, you will be sent your winnings automatically, either directly into your bank (if playing by Direct Debit), or via a cheque sent in the post.

If you match 3 digits you will be sent an email to confirm your win and your temporary 5 prize entry lottery numbers for the following week's draw.

I have more questions - how can I get in touch?

If you would like to contact us regarding the lottery, you can complete our contact form or contact the Unity Lottery helpline on 0370 050 9240.

For more information about us, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Is my data secure?

At The Children’s Trust we are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you in accordance with data protection and privacy legislation, regulations and guidance. Where we use external companies to collect or process personal data on our behalf, we undertake comprehensive checks on these companies before we work with them, and put a contract in place that sets out our expectations and requirements, especially regarding how they manage the personal data they have collected or have access to.

More information can be found in The Children's Trust's Privacy Policy.

Do you encourage responsible gambling?

The Children's Trust is committed to ensuring that all lottery and raffle activity is operated and conducted in a secure, fair and socially responsible way.

For friendly and helpful advice on gambling from trained counsellors, contact the GamCare helpline on 0845 600 0133.

The helpline is open 24 hours a day. Sometimes just telling someone about your problem can be a relief and it is often the first step towards dealing with your problem.

You can also visit the GamCare website for more information and advice.