Swindon Borough Council will be among the first few councils in the country to launch its own online community lottery to support local good causes.

The authority wants to make sure that community groups and local charities can continue to receive financial support well into the future.

Setting up the Swindon Community Lottery will help to raise money to continue to fund a host of different projects.

A lottery management company Gatherwell has been appointed to run the scheme, having already launched similar lotteries elsewhere.

Tickets will cost £1 with 60p going towards local good causes, compared with 28p in the pound for the National Lottery.

The rest of the money will go towards the prize money, management costs, and VAT.

The draw will be weekly with a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers. Other prizes will be £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets.

Coun Keith Williams, the council’s cabinet member for corporate services and operational excellence, said: “The Swindon Community Lottery is a fantastic way of ensuring that those who do important work for their local communities are able to continue to do so without worrying about funds.

“I would fully encourage as many people as possible to take part when tickets go on sale in November.”

Players will be able to set up a monthly payment in advance with the option to do a three, six or 12-month repeating subscription by direct debit or payment card.

Any eligible organisation operating in Swindon can sign up and winners will be informed via email and will have the money transferred automatically to their chosen bank account.

The Swindon Community Lottery first draw will take place on Saturday, December 14, and tickets will be on sale from Wednesday, November 13.

For more information, email: SCL@swindon.gov.uk