Breckland has become the first district council to launch a lottery where proceeds will be donated towards good causes in the community.

A total of 850 tickets were sold for the Our Breckland Lottery, ahead of the draw on Saturday, March 31.

The lottery has been organised by Breckland Council and benefits local causes by allowing ticket buyers to choose one of the registered local charities or community groups to receive 50p of every £1 ticket they buy.

A further 10p of every £1 ticket goes into a general community funding pot, which Breckland Council will release as grants. It is expected to raise around £30,000 per year for good causes by the end of its first year.

Councillor Paul Claussen, of Breckland Council, said: 'I'm delighted that we've now held our inaugural lottery draw and I would like to congratulate our very first winners, but of course the real winners are all of the local groups who are directly benefiting from the ticket sales.

'The Our Breckland Lottery exists to give local groups a free and easy way to fundraise and make even more people aware of the good work they are doing across the district.

'I hope players will continue to buy tickets to support these good causes and that we will see even more local groups come forward to benefit from future draws.'

Sixteen people won prizes in the draw on Saturday, with two players matching three numbers and winning £25 each. A further 14 people matched two numbers and each won three free tickets for a future draw.

To celebrate the first draw, a separate prize giveaway was also held for an Annual Expressions gym membership worth £389. It was sponsored by Parkwood Leisure and won by a resident in Dereham, who will receive year-long access to a local gym and its swimming facilities.

Draws will be held every Saturday, with a top prize for matching all six numbers of £25,000.

A total of 60 local groups have registered to benefit from the lottery, ranging from sports clubs and pre-schools to carers' groups and community centres.

More information is available online or by following Our Breckland Lottery on Twitter or Facebook. Players can buy tickets online and good causes can apply to join for free.