An online raffle business has exploded in popularity by offering customers the chance to bag huge prizes – all while donating thousands of pounds to charity.
Started in August 2020 at the height of the COVID lockdown by Reece Thornton, Phat Lads Competitions soon grew from a side hustle to a successful company demanding full-time attention. Reece, 32, from Cheadle, ditched his recruitment job and brought on his dad, Paul Bate, to help spearhead the firm, based in Stoke-on-Trent.
He estimates that Phat Lads has given away around £5 million in prizes via its daily competition draws. The firm now has seven full-time members of staff alongside their own dedicated charitable foundation, set up in 2023. And players hail from all over the country after advertising campaign.
Phat Lads sales manager, 31-year-old Bradley Marren, explained the company’s journey: “We’re a competition website. To put it simply we’re like an online raffle, but that is a very simplified version of what we do.
“People can enter draws to win cash prizes, cars, Rolexes, games consoles, you name it – things people want but thought they could never afford. We start tickets from 5p so everyone can get involved.
“We used to be very local based – but that’s not the case anymore. We’ve grown a lot since then, and we’ve got players across the country. We have adverts on buses in London, posters in the London Underground, we’ve been on TalkSport radio, and we’re currently filming a TV advert.
“It all started in lockdown, when Reece got it going with two of his friends. He put everything into it. It was make-or-break for him. After a while they left and his dad, Paul, joined and it has grown and grown since then. Just last year Reece was a finalist for the Staffordshire University Young Businessman of the Year Award.”
Bradley believes that the key to the business’ success is their uniquely kind-hearted operational approach. He said: “I don’t run the company, but I can tell you – those two lads who do have hearts of gold.
“We try to be down to earth. Give as much back as we take, giving back to the community. We’re not corporate, we’re just very real and I think people find it humorous. We have our main draw on Wednesday’s at 8pm. People tune in to watch us even if they’ve not entered. We’ve built a real community and it’s amazing.
“But that’s not all we do. We go out of our way to help people. Constantly going above and beyond. Our members will vouch for us – we’re changing local lives daily.”
The Phat Lads Charitable Foundation, started in February last year, is dedicated to raising money for the Royal Stoke Uiversity Hospital’s Children’s Ward, alongside a range of other local causes.
Bradley explained: “We are a business that makes money. And, of course, people don’t always win on our draws. But we like to assure them that when they play it does go to a good cause. Right now I’m actually sitting next to a bunch of tablets and Nintendo Switches that we’re going to donate to the Children’s Ward this week.
“We do food bank runs weekly. We’ve actually hired Vivienne – Reece’s auntie – to help run our charity efforts. She’s always going down and donating tents and blankets to the homeless shelter.
“Last year Paul went to the Children’s Ward dressed as Santa to hand out presents to the kids. We’ve been asked to go again this year, and myself and Jack are going as his elves.”
When asked about the company’s plans for the future, Bradley said: “We want to keep growing, doing what we’re doing. Changing people’s lives and putting smiles on people’s faces. We’d like to take over the world! Just see how far we can go with it really. It’s all been a dream.”
If you know of a cause that you think the Phat Lads Charitable Foundation could help, email info@phatladsfoundation.org or message them via the Phat Lads Competitions Facebook page.
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