Each year, the profits from the draw are shared between Bailiwick organisations, to help local charities with their projects and services in the year ahead.

This year's Christmas Lottery Draw guarantees a top prize of £1 million, with thousands of pounds also going to be shared between those good causes.

Malcolm Woodhams, Chairman of the Association of Guernsey Charities which co-ordinates the charity grants, said: “The States of Guernsey made several changes to this year’s Christmas Lottery with the key aim of increasing the amount of money raised for local charities. They recognise that local organisations provide huge amounts of good work throughout the Bailiwick, and the traditional Christmas draw is a superb way for the AGC to fund a wide variety of these projects that benefit the wider community.”

Pictured: The Association of Guernsey Charities, and its equivalent in Jersey, distribute the money raised through the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery.

The 2018 Christmas Lottery raised £218,118 for charities in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. This enabled the AGC to provide funding to 40 local projects, with grants ranging from £400 to more thank £26,000.

Charities interested in applying for a grant can find more details and an application pack on the Association of Guernsey Charities website. Charities must be locally registered, and the grant must be for a project or service that will be delivered in 2020.

Applicants need to complete an application form, and provide their full accounts, together with any background information detailing why the grant is required. The AGC has changed the application form so that charities can submit their application and supporting documents by email.

Information about local charitable and voluntary organisations can be found on the Association of Guernsey Charities website.