Lottery gives Guernsey charities nearly £200K

More than £190,000 is being given to charities in Guernsey from the proceeds of the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery.

The money, which includes just over £4,500 from the Association of Guernsey Charities' charitable fund, is due to be shared among 29 causes.

The £686,000 jackpot was won in Jersey as ticket sales in the Bailiwick of Guernsey fell by 112,200 (12.1%).

Last year 42 charities in Guernsey received grants totalling £213,898.

The drop in money given to charity, at 8.6%, is lower than the fall in sales.

Essential maintenance

The biggest grants are £22,000 to Guernsey Cheshire Home for utility bills, £20,000 for the running costs of the Women's Refuge and £15,000 to replace an undercarriage leg on the Channel Islands Air Search plane Lion's Pride.

Ian Larby, secretary of air search, said the grant allowed essential maintenance to take place, which otherwise could have seen the plane grounded.

The charity, which has annual running costs of about £95,000, provides search facilities in the 4,000 sq miles of water around the Channel Islands and along the French coast.

Mr Larby said corrosion was found on an undercarriage leg that could not be fixed and the legs have to be replaced as a pair.

Final decision

He said the search for a suitable replacement had seen them look as far afield as the United States and the Seychelles before a pair was found in Scotland.

Mr Larby said the repairs cost a total of £60,000 and had also been funded by the Friends of Air Search in Jersey.

Malcolm Woodhams, treasurer, said the association had received 51 applications for grants totalling more than £554,000.

He said the final decision on where the money goes is made by the eight members of the association's council.

Mr Woodhams said: "We are keen to ensure that the lottery money is distributed as fairly as possible.

"We know how much local charities value and appreciate the funds raised every year by the Christmas Lottery, and we'd like to sincerely thank everyone who bought tickets and supported the draw."

Over the past 10 years, the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery has raised £1.5m for Guernsey charities.