There was cause for celebration as more than £10,000 was handed out to good causes at annual event.

At an event at the Colliton Club on Wednesday, Mayor of Dorchester, Cllr David Taylor, presented cheques totalling £10,000 to the 40 organisations that took part in the Dorchester Rotary Club 2018 Christmas Draw.

For the annual draw, local registered charities are tasked with selling raffle tickets for the popular event.

The partaking organisations are able to to keep 100 per cent of the money they raise, plus are awarded an a bonus from tickets sold by the Rotary Club.

This year, the mayor presented cheques totalling more than £10,000 to 40 organisations, making this the clubs most successful draw to date.

Ian Dominy, from Dorchester Rotary Club, said “This has been another successful year, thanks to the hard work of all the organisations and the generosity of the sponsors.

"Since this annual event was started in 2005 by Graham Curtis, more than £110,000 has been raised for local groups.”

The draw supports a wide range of charities, including sports clubs, school groups, youth groups and support organisations for people with specific illnesses.

All costs for the event, including the cash prizes, are covered by the generous sponsorship from local businesses meaning every penny raised goes to good causes.

The main sponsor in 2018 was Dorchester Timber, who Mr Dominy said had supported the event for many years.

Mr Dominy also paid tribute to the support given by the Mayor and Dorchester Town Council for this, and other, Rotary Club events.

Last year, Dorchester Rotary Club also held a 'charities fayre' and as a result of the collections in South Street with Santa's sleigh, cheques for £1,000 each were presented to Dorchester Opportunities Group, Fortuneswell Cancer Trust and Weymouth and Dorchester Parkinsons Society.

Beneficiaries of this year's draw were:

  • Abbotsbury Playground Group
  • Charlton Down Cricket Club
  • Charminster First guides
  • Charminster Pre-school Group
  • Chesil Sailability
  • Diverse Abilities
  • Dorchester Amateur Boxing Club
  • Dorchester Community Nursery School
  • Dorchester Disabled Club
  • Dorchester Middle School
  • Dorchester Opportunity Group
  • Dorchester RNA
  • Dorchester Social Stroke Club
  • Dorchester Strollers
  • Dorchester Youth & Community Centre
  • Dorset ME Support Group
  • Durnovaria Silver Band
  • Fortuneswell Cancer Trust
  • Friends of Broadmayne First School
  • Friends of Just Dance
  • Friends of Milborne St Andrew First School
  • Friends of The Ridgeway Day Services
  • Frome Valley First School (PTFA)
  • Home-Start West Dorset
  • Lions Club of Dorchester
  • Manor Park First School
  • Piddlehinton Football Club
  • Puddletown 1st School (FOPS)
  • Rotary Charities
  • St Mary's Catholic First School, Friends
  • SW Dorset Multi-Cultural Network
  • The Dorchester Trust for Counselling and Psychotherapy
  • The Horse Course
  • The Mayor's charities
  • The Volunteer Centre
  • WAND
  • Weldmar
  • Wessex Branch British Sugarcraft Guild
  • Weymouth and Dorchester Parkinson Disease Society
  • Winterbourne Valley School Parent Teacher Association