Lewes MP Maria Caulfield donates £475 to animal charity after betting on Grand National 2024 winner

The MP visited Coral in Broad Street, Seaford, to place a £50 charity bet on the 2024 Grand National, with all winnings going to the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare.

She chose the Ringmer-based charity, which rescues and rehomes animals, because it is close to her heart and she has a cat that she adopted from there.

She placed a 7-1 bet on ‘I Am Maximus’, which went on to win the Grand National on Saturday, April 13, at Aintree Racecourse, meaning that Raystede will get a £475 donation.

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Maria Caulfield said: “The Grand National is one of those great sporting moments when the whole nation comes together. I was delighted to visit my local betting shop to meet the staff and customers, take up BGC's generous offer of a charity bet, and also discuss the incredibly important work they have been doing on safer gambling. I was very pleased to have picked a winning horse and I am so glad that the money is going to such a worthwhile cause as Raystede.”

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which is the standards body for the regulated UK betting and gaming industry, invited MPs to visit either a Paddy Power, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral or Betfred shop in their constituency to place a free charity bet. They said that if the bet was successful then all winnings go to the MP’s nominated charity. But if the bet was not successful then the charity would receive a £250 donation from the BGC.