East Dulwich resident, Victoria Rennison, has set up a community raffle as a way of showing support for all our brilliant local businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Victoria has lived in East Dulwich for three years and moved here because of the wonderful atmosphere in the area, with so many independent shops and businesses, friendly people and a real sense of community.

She said: “With the latest government advice meaning so many of these local businesses have suddenly had to close, the impact was immediate and palpable. I saw online how they were trying to innovate and offer what they could but worrying what might happen to their shops, restaurants, cafes, gyms etc. so I wanted to do something which helped them financially in some way but also raised awareness of their plight and encouraged people to support them, shop and spend locally and help them get through the other side.”

The idea of the community raffle is to sell raffle tickets all over East Dulwich and the surrounding areas, with all proceeds raised being used to buy gifts, vouchers, hampers and experiences from independent businesses. Tickets can be bought online for £1 and there are 10,000 tickets available. For every 50 tickets purchased, a new prize will be added to the raffle. The draw is on Easter Day and the more tickets sold, the more support we can give to our local businesses during the pandemic.

Here’s how you can help:

1) Dig deep and buy raffle tickets at tinyurl.com/smtsvpr

2) Spread the word – tell everyone you know and shout it from the rooftops if you have to

3) Don’t forget your favourite local businesses – the restaurant you want to go to may not be open, but can you still buy a takeaway? The place you get a manicure has temporarily closed their doors, but can you buy a gift voucher?

You can follow Save East Dulwich on Instagram @saveeastdulwich, Facebook.com/saveeastdulwich, Twitter @DulwichSave and use the hashtag #saveeastdulwich.