Riot Raffle : Giving Back To The Community

Like so many, I was shocked and appalled at the sheer level of violence and mindless vandalism during the recent riots in our major cities. I could not believe the selfish attitude of the rioters...this was not a revolution, this was opportunism and instant self-gratification. Stealing flat-screen TVs and trainers was not a protest...it was greed. There have been many excuses for the behaviour of the mainly teenage rioters...poverty & boredom being the main reasons. This actually makes me feel very angry. I grew up on a Council Estate and we had very little in terms of material goods. My Dad went out to work to pay the bills and my mum stayed at home to look after us. My mum made our clothes and we had to walk everywhere, but we were happy. Just because you are poor, doesn't mean you go and burn down someone else's home or business...you have respect for others in the same situation as yourself. Something these rioters seem to have forgotten...they've ruined their own communities.

So when we heard that one of our twitter 'friends' was organising a raffle for those affected, we decided we'd like to help. We weren't able to join the wonderful Riot Cleanup group who did such a fantastic job so this seemed a good way to give something back and to show our support.

we are donating a mirror to the raffle

Zoe's idea of a Riot Raffle was brilliant. If the arts & crafts community could donate prizes, the money raised would help others with small businesses in association with the Retail Trust and hopefully go some way to rebuilding people's lives and livelihoods.

So far, the response has been amazing - over 80 independent small businesses have donated prizes. For your chance of winning one of these fabulous items, you can buy a ticket for just one pound.

For more information, to view prizes on offer and to buy a ticket, please see the Riot raffle website or Facebook page