A GENEROUS man who set up his own charity lottery has been accused of scamming people in Cirencester.

Matt Winters, from Fairford, set up Cirencester Lottery in October. He invites residents to pay one pound, which enters them into a weekly draw and if they win, they could receive up to £25,000. A portion of the money will also go to a local charity each week.

He now wants to prove to everyone that his idea is legal and legitimate.

The 39-year-old originally set up the scheme as a way to help battle his depression. But he has said the idea is doing him more harm than good as some people have accused him of being a fraud.

"It was because I did a competition to give away a tenner," said Matt, who lives with his partner Sarah and 12-year-old daughter Paris-Anne. "I had to test I could give away the money. The person who won it was allegedly a scammer but that's nonsense."

Matt runs his charity project from his dining room at home and said he receives no financial gain from it at all. He also has documents to prove that he is registered with Cotswold District Council (CDC), which ensures he complies with the rule of the Gambling Act 2005.

"People are not sure if I'm genuine," Matt added. "I just find it sad."

A spokesman from CDC confirmed that Cirencester Lottery is legitimate and licensed by the council.

When the lottery gets up and running properly in January, Matt plans to ask each weekly winner which local charity they would like to donate funds to, instead of choosing by himself. He hopes to have around 200-300 people enter each week.

Visit local-lottery.co.uk to find out more about the charity.