Hundreds of businesses pledge prizes for Madeira Terrace fundraiser

More than 400 businesses – and counting – have pledged prizes for a raffle to raise money for the Madeira Terraces.

The raffle, organised by Brighton mother and daughter team Jax Atkins and Rebecca Bunker, together with Derek Wright, is designed to sit alongside the city council’s main fundraiser.

Some of the 447 prizes include two nights at The Old Ship Hotel, £100 at Riddle and Finns – and one former Brighton resident, Gwen Healey, has offered two nights bed and breakfast at her North Carolina home, and is trying to organise free flights to go with them.

And with tickets flying off the shelves of the scores of venues they are available at, the trio say they hope to raise £20,000 to help repair the delapidated Victorian terraces.

And people are also invited to lend more practical help during the latest in a series of volunteer clean-ups of the terraces next Sunday, November 18 from 10am to 1pm, meeting at the Concorde.

Mrs Atkins said: “I was born here in Portland Place right opposite the lift and the terraces have always been part of my life. They are part of Brighton.

“They are beautiful and I love going up and down them, sunbathing on them, reading a book or having a drink.

“The marathon and the Speed Trials all come here – all the events end up here.

“Once the crowdfunding started, that was good but then nothing much seemed to happen, there wasn’t a lot of publicity about it, so nobody knew about it.

“The three of us got together and decided that we would do a raffle, raise a bit of money and get the community more involved, because the grants are more likely to be given if the community is involved.

“At the beginning, we had to go out to businesses to ask for prizes, but now people are coming to us.

“Council leader Warren Morgan has taken a lot of tickets and has been selling them at the council offices. He has been really supportive.”

The final draw will be held on Friday, November 24 from 5pm to 8pm at The Cricketers in Black Lion Street.

Raffle tickets, which cost £1 each, can be bought from the outlets below; by bank transfer (sort code 071040, account number 70849547, email chemicaljax@ntlworld.com once transfer is made); or by Paypal using the email address chemicaljax@ntlworld.com and emailing Jax Atkins at the same address once the transfer is made. If buying electronically, the minimum order is five tickets for £5.