CHRISTMAS has come early for nine good causes around East Hampshire as they’ve won a share of a £8,300 lottery jackpot.

The results of the East Hampshire Community Lottery are in – and they make very good reading for groups in Petersfield, Liss, Clanfield and the Alton area.

Basingstoke & Alton Cardiac Rehabilitation have been awarded £1,000 for a ‘Going Green’ carbon reduction project while Holybourne Theatre has received the same amount to help with a dressing room refurbishment.

A further £1,000 has been dished out to Clanfield Bowls & Sports Club for an industrial dishwasher while the Liss Mens Shed and Petersfield Community Association have been given the same sum for a woodworking machine and new folding chairs, respectively.

Petersfield Museum is getting £939 for a defibrillator, £1,000 is going towards refurbishment costs at Newman Collard Tennis Club and Petersfield Cricket Club has been given £1,000 towards the cost of a wind-up mesh sight screen.

Finally, the Petersfield Voluntary Care Group has been given £451 for new advertising material with the handouts agreed by EHDC councillors and officers.

Players can buy £1 tickets online with 50p going to a participating charity of the purchaser’s choice.

Of the remaining 50p, 10p goes to the council’s Community Chest Fund while the remaining 40p is split between prizes and administration costs.

Grants are only eligible to organisations that have signed up to the lottery as good causes and have sold more than 50 tickets to supporters.