It’s not the first time the charitable GMTV newsreader and presenter has turned her talents to Maggie’s - Penny raised £20,000 for the charity on Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire with fellow TV darling Anneka Rice earlier this year, and looks set to continue the trend in her new position with the society lottery.

The launch of the relationship between Maggie’s in England and the People’s Postcode Lottery comes after the phenomenal success the pairing has had in Scotland, where players North of the border have raised a huge £557,147 for the cancer centres to date - enough to cover the running of two centres for an entire year! With plans in place to continue building new centres throughout England, including the North East, the partnership with the People’s Postcode Lottery couldn’t have come at a better time.

The People's Postcode Lottery is offering a month of free play this June if you sign up before Monday 18th May 2009. Find out more about the month of free play.

The English arm of the charity lottery, which has raised over £1.8 million for English charities so far, hopes to replicate such a triumph with Maggie’s, and who better than the multitalented Penny to front such a campaign?  Thrilled with her new position as Charities Ambassador, Penny said:

“I’ve been a supporter of Maggie’s for a number of years and it has been great watching it develop. Maggie’s London Centre was just a doctors’ car park at Charing Cross Hospital when I first heard about the plans to build a centre to help people living with cancer. It’s now a unique and amazing cancer support centre.
 
"I am delighted that the People’s Postcode Lottery is adopting Maggie’s as one of its charity partners in England. The relationship will make a difference to Maggie’s and to the lives of people living with cancer.”

Mary Nesbitt is one of many people living in the North East who is passionate about opening a Maggie’s Centre in the area - both Mary and her husband Ian used the Maggie’s Centre in Edinburgh after Ian was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. The couple found the service “a godsend”, and now Ian’s widow is campaigning to raise funds for a centre in the North East in Ian’s home town of Newcastle.

“Neither of us quite knew what to do or how to cope...Ian was totally down in his whole demeanour.” Thankfully the couple’s first visit to Maggie’s left both feeling more positive, with Ian saying this initial contact made him feel “like I have someone to inspire me again.”

The change in Ian was swift- he began to regain pride in his appearance, both took strength in individual sessions with a psychologist, and nutritional information was readily available. Mary emphasises the importance Maggie’s played in gaining a greater understanding of Ian’s cancer and how it might affect Ian on a day to day basis.

Mary describes her late husband as “the love of my life - my lovely man” and says “Ian called Andrew at the Maggie's Centre in Edinburgh ‘His angel on Earth’ and I am sure that once Maggie’s is opened in the North East other people will find their ‘angel’ also. I know how much he would be campaigning to get a Maggie’s centre here in his home city of Newcastle if he was still here.”

The story is a touching one, and with the support of the People’s Postcode Lottery and new charity ambassador Penny Smith, it’s hoped that very soon this dream will become a reality.

Penny is the latest in an impressive list of celebrities lining up to support the cancer centres, which help anyone affected by any type of cancer, at any stage of their journey, as well as family and friends who also need a place to turn.  Maggie’s free-of-charge programme of support takes place within beautiful buildings, that are custom designed by some of the world’s leading architects with the aim of being uplifting, positive and inspiring environments.  Maggie’s have a number of VIP supporters including Patron’s Sarah Brown, Jon Snow and artist Sam Taylor Wood, as well as Maggie’s president the Duchess of Cornwall.
 
The People’s Postcode Lottery launched in 2005 and represents a unique fundraising concept where players play with their postcode to win cash prizes whilst supporting local charities.  40p from each ticket sold goes direct to charities, which are selected in line with its mission to raise funds for English charities in the sectors of children, health and the protection of the environment and missing people.

Notes to Editors:

About the People’s Postcode Lottery
The People’s Postcode Lottery is the lottery for local charities.  It is a society lottery and their mission is to raise funds for charities and to increase awareness for their work by organising lotteries. 

Launched in 2005, PPL represents a unique fundraising concept where players play with their postcode to win cash prizes whilst supporting local charities.  40p from each ticket sold goes direct to charity.  All money raised in the country stays in the country. 

The Lottery has been granted a UK-wide operating licence by the Gaming Board of Great Britain and was launched in the North East of England. The Lottery costs just £2 a week by direct debit.  Players must be aged over 16.

How to play
Players purchase a £2 lottery ticket, which enters them into the weekly draw. Tickets are based on a player’s postcode and a 3-digit unique code. Each ticket in the winning postcode receives a share of the £25,000 and each ticket in the winning postcode sector will receive cash prizes. People sign up to a monthly direct debit and winnings are transferred direct to their bank account.

The ‘Postcode Jumbo’ is the tri-annual event where they give away a larger prize pot to a lucky English postcode.  On 5th April 2009 SR5 5, Sunderland won a total of £250,000- the largest ever Jumbo prizepot.

Charity Partners

PPL believe the charities are the experts in investing their financial support.  Therefore the support they give is unrestricted and their direct beneficiaries can invest where it is truly needed. Since 2005, over £1.8 million has been raised for community projects and charities such as Durham Wildlife Trust, Children North East, Daisy Chain, Missing People, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. 

Lottery Regulation
The People’s Postcode Lottery is regulated by the Gambling Commission and has External Lottery Manager’s Licence to operate in the UK.

Novamedia and the Postcode Lottery
The Postcode Lottery was founded in 1989 by Novamedia BV, an international charity lottery operator. Novamedia operates Postcode Lotteries in the Netherlands, in Sweden and the UK (North East) with over 4.3 million players each week. The aim of the Novamedia’s Postcode Lottery is to raise funds for regional and international charities. Novamedia have given over 3.5Bn Euros to charities.

About Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres

All of the existing Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres are situated beside an NHS Cancer Hospital and have been designed to be as non-institutional as possible, through creative uses of light, design and colour, and with a kitchen at the heart of every one. Anyone can visit a Maggie’s Centre; it’s a free service and there is no need for an appointment. All the centres are run by professional, specialist staff who are always at hand to talk about any aspect of cancer. A Maggie’s Centre gives people choices. They can join a support group, take part in weekly sessions such as relaxation and stress management, or learn about nutrition and health. Or they can simply come in and sit at our kitchen table, have a cup of tea and a biscuit and start to breathe again.

Opened in April 2008, Maggie’s London is the first of a series of centres across England and Wales, as part of Maggie’s Joy of Living fundraising Campaign.  Plans and fundraising are well underway for centres in the Cotswolds, Oxford, Nottingham, the North East, and South West Wales.  Furthermore, initial talks are taking place about possible centres in Leeds, Northampton and Birmingham, with future ambitions for many other sites across England.