donorflex's new Lottery system has passed the ultimate challenge by running a live draw for the first time.

The smiles at Huddersfield's Kirkwood Hospice were as broad as those in Birmingham when the winning number was generated.

Kirkwood's donorflex Lottery success"We'd demonstrated the Lottery module at regional user group events and were always very confident that the Kirkwood milestone would go as planned," said Care Data Systems MD Brian Todd, "but it was great to take that step and see what it means to the team there. We're delighted for everyone involved."

What it means to Lottery Officer Dawn Walker's close-knit team, indeed, is the start of a new era that's full of new and exciting possibilities that come with the integration of lottery players to their main donorflex database – and nine years worth of historical lottery data to exploit.

"It was very straightforward and made everything a lot easier to manage," explained Dawn, pictured with assistant Bryan North. "There's a lot more we can do with reports and it'll be better from a marketing point of view as well.

"It'll give us lots of scope to find out where our donors are, and we can vary the kind of draws we do – it's a big step forward."

Attention at Patrick House and across the donorflex client world now turns to a series of regional gatherings devoted entirely to the system, where users will be able to see for themselves what has prompted the smiles at Kirkwood Hospice and discuss how it could transform their operations. The dates are:

  • Mids / SW: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, St Richard's Hospice, Wildwood Drive, Worcester, Worcs WR5 2QT

  • North West: Thursday, February 18, 2010, Haydock Park, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside WA12 0HQ

  • South East: Tuesday, February 23, 2010, Princess Alice Hospice, West End Lane, Esher, Surrey KT10 8NA

  • North East: Thursday, March 4, 2010, St Michael's Hospice, Crimple House, Hornbeam Park Avenue, Harrogate HG2 8QL

More details about these afternoon sessions will be released via dmailer alert in the coming weeks, along with an opportunity to book online.