Guernsey Press

Charities big and small benefit from Christmas lottery

CHRISTMAS has come for 40 local charities who are sharing more than £220,000 from last year’s festive lottery.

Published
Transport administrator Colin McGregor outside the Guernsey Voluntary Service’s Jubilee Day Centre headquarters with one of the three minibuses it uses to take senior islanders there and to The Russels. Its £19,000 Christmas lottery grant will pay for their running costs and for those of the four Meals on Wheels cars. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 24629997)

The biggest winner was the Guernsey Cheshire Home, which received more than £26,000 to cover utility bills.

Five other charities – the Guernsey Voluntary Service, Grow Limited, Home Start, Les Bourgs Hospice, and the Youth Commission – were each awarded grants of more than £10,000.

Smaller charities are also included. Wellbeing Animals Guernsey received £400 for a recruitment campaign, and the Alderney Broadcasting Company was given £750 to pay for central heating.

Each year the proceeds from the Christmas draw are distributed to local good causes by the Association of Guernsey Charities.

The prize structure and ticket price for the 2018 lottery was revamped to try to address a slump in profits from previous years, and this was deemed a success because an extra £28,000 was raised compared to the previous year.

Malcolm Woodhams, the association’s chairman, said: ‘We are all very relieved and pleased that the changes to the 2018 Christmas lottery had the desired effect and reversed the previous decline in Christmas lottery profits.

‘As usual, every application was read by all nine members of the association council. The process is time-consuming, but thorough, as we try to ensure that the money will be used to maximum effect throughout the community.

‘We know the success of the draw is vitally important to charities, as most are finding it harder to raise the funds they urgently need for their work.’

This year the association received 50 applications, requesting a total of more than £1.3m. – the highest value of requests ever received.

Mr Woodhams wanted to thank everyone who bought tickets and the retailers who sold them.

‘The Christmas lottery is a true local institution.

‘Whilst it offers a bit of festive fun for many, its true importance is the money raised and the amount of fantastic work it enables charities to undertake to help our communities.

‘Over the coming months, we look forward to hearing from the charities that received a grant with more details about how the money is being used, and the success of their projects.’

Grants in detail

Access for All, £950, funding to enable an Access for All representative to visit Alderney and for the accessible town project

Alderney Broadcasting Company, £750, to pay for central heating and offset some electricity charges

Alderney Performing Arts Festival Foundation, £4,500, pay for technical services, performer costs, marketing, website maintenance

Amalgamated Boxing Club, £5,000, towards rebuilding costs for boxing club

Amherst Primary School PTA, £2,150, match funding for purchase of Chromebooks to aid and enhance children’s learning

Autism Guernsey LBG, £6,295, to provide Earlybird Teen Life programme to families

Bailiwick of Guernsey Victim Support and Witness Service, £1,000, towards training costs to raise public awareness of fraud

CLIC Sargent, £5,586, accommodation for families of young cancer patients from Guernsey

Cystic Fibrosis Guernsey, £5,000, to purchase new airway clearance device for those with chronic respiratory conditions

Drug Concern, £7,650, service training towards the support of problem gambling

Girlguiding Guernsey, £1,500, match funding for an off-island trip to take part and complete Baden Powell badge

Grow Limited, £15,000, to purchase growing equipment, to purchase garden trolleys, for 100 flood trays and towards uniform lockers.

GSPCA, £7,500, new wildlife cages

Guernsey (ATC) Air Cadets, £800, purchase of 20 camp beds for overnight courses

Guernsey Botanical Trust LBG, £5,000, toward the build of the gatehouse and learning centre, itemised works that will be completed within 12 months.

Guernsey Cardiac Action Group, £2,834, to install a new public access defibrillator strategically placed to give access to large numbers of the public

Guernsey Cheshire Home, £26,549.62, to cover utility costs of the home, gas/electricity/water and petrol

Guernsey Child Contact Centre, £3,500, to provide Children First Course to parents who are separating or divorcing

Guernsey Disability Alliance We All Matter Eh?, £1,500, redevelop the website www.gda.org.gg

Guernsey DriveAbility, £7,500, to fit out a new disability driving assessment vehicle

Guernsey Multiple Myeloma Support Group, £3,000, to provide on-island training to medical professionals on this incurable cancer

Guernsey Multiple Sclerosis Society, £7,800, to pay for weekly specialised exercise classes at Beau Sejour

Guernsey Sailing Trust, £2,600, to purchase various sailing gear and equipment

Guernsey Sports Commission, £1,200, to replace floodlights and pop-up goals

Guernsey Voluntary Service, £19,014.00, funding for running of Meals-on-Wheels cars and mini buses that are used for day centre client transportation

Helping Wings Guernsey, £1,500, to fund the flying day for disabled and disadvantaged young persons of the Bailiwick

Home-Start Guernsey LBG, £10,000, to cost of training volunteers

Le Rondin School Parents, Staff and Friends Association, £7,000, match funding for an off-island residential trip for all Year 6 pupils to Calvert Trust, Exmoor

Les Bourgs Hospice, £10,000, towards general running costs

Orca Charitable LBG, £1,000, to fund the cost of the annual fundraising event

Paws for Support, £3,000, training costs and promotional material

Philippi Guernsey LBG, £7,000, to assist with costs of training counsellors

Relate Guernsey Ltd, £9,000, to cover the costs of various training courses

Set Sail Trust, £6,000, Herm weekend for vulnerable or disadvantaged families

St Mary & St Michael Catholic School PTFA, £1,600, match funding for updating sound equipment and to procure lighting for school and outside user events.

Styx Centre LBG, £2,108.51, manufacture and fit handrails for disabled safety

Town Centre Partnership, £2,500, 21 Sunday afternoon concerts in Candie Gardens

Trustees of the Guille-Alles Library, £5,000, to install a chair lift

Wellbeing Animals Guernsey, £400, to fund a recruitment campaign

Youth Commission for Guernsey and Alderney, £10,000, towards replacement of minibuses

Total: £220,287.13. 2018 Christmas Lottery proceeds were £218,118. The balance is from the AGC Charitable Fund, and a previous unused lottery grant.