Bible Society competition winner gives £7,000 to NHS project

A nurse from Greater Manchester has given her Scripture scratchcard winnings of £7,000 to the Oldham Substance Misuse Service.

Barbara Raynor-Taylor, a nurse from Royal Oldham Hospital, was the winner of a unique competition that encouraged the people of Greater Manchester to engage in the Bible's message.

The competition, The Riddle of Life, was run by the Bible Society in May and June this year. It was based on solving seven biblical riddles that were advertised across the borough on hundreds of billboards and bus shelters, as well as on trams, buses, taxis and even beer mats.

The rules stated that the eventual winner would get to choose which local good cause they would like the prize money to go to.

Raynor-Taylor said, "I enjoyed reading the Bible as part of the competition and was thrilled to be chosen as the winner. I chose the Substance Misuse Service because I wanted the money to go to a cause that was close to my heart.

"My son dabbled with drugs and at the time, I felt there wasn't enough advice for teenagers and parents facing this situation. Also, as a committed Christian, I believe we should look after the wider community.

"Since the Oldham Substance Misuse Service is doing a great job in this area, I wanted to give them a helping hand."

Tony Lilley, a Social Worker from the Oldham Substance Misuse Project, said, "We're delighted to receive this very generous donation in recognition of our work.

"This money will help us to continue to offer services to those with substance misuse problems, to help them make positive changes in their lives. It will also enable us to continue to offer support to their families. We'd like to say thank-you to Barbara Raynor-Taylor and to the Bible Society for this gift."

Sue Green, the spokesperson for The Riddle of Life competition, added, "Our competition was designed to show that the Bible is full of everyday stories that still strike a chord today. One of the riddles was about the Good Samaritan and Barbara is certainly one of those."

To find out more about the initiative, please visit www.theriddleoflife.org.uk