WHAT can you buy with £1? A chocolate bar...two pints of milk...how about an Essex Lottery ticket.

Since the Essex Lottery launched two years ago, more than £135,000 has been donated to good causes.

This is thanks to the thousands of players who buy a weekly £1 ticket, with 60p from each ticket going to charities across the county.

The online lottery created by Essex County Council is

celebrating its two year anniversary.

Over this time 180 charities have signed up to benefit from the cause becoming winners in their own right. The Essex Retired Police Dogs Fund, based in Alresford, signed up to the Essex Lottery when it first launched.

The charity, run by volunteers, was established in 2012 to provide financial assistance to owners of retired police dogs.

As a highly trained police dog working with Essex Police, Baloo the Belgian Malinois helped to prevent and solve a whole host of crimes across the county until her life changed forever in October last year.

While on duty Baloo was hit by a car leaving a crime scene.

Her injuries were so severe she was not expected to live but after emergency surgery to repair her shattered pelvis and a further operation to amputate her front right leg she made an incredible recovery.

She was placed with retired police dog handler and started her new life in the Essex countryside.

Baloo still needs a lot of veterinary care. Thankfully the fund has covered the cost of her treatment.

Linda Belgrove, founder of the Essex Retired Police Dogs Fund, said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who buys a ticket for helping us to make sure these exceptional dogs, who protected the people of Essex during their loyal service, can enjoy a happy and healthy retirement.”

The well-being of vulnerable people is just as important as the wellbeing of animals. It is why the Alliance Performance Ensemble, based in Clacton, signed up to the cause.

The 60-strong line-up of young people enjoy the unsung sport of Winter Guard - a performance dance activity which is captivating to watch.

Founded by Denise and Jason Hawke, Alliance Performance Ensemble provides an activity young people can enjoy without the pressure of having to pay

for expensive clothing or equipment.

Jason said: “One of the team joined the group aged 16 and soon found she had a hidden talent for dance.

“Her involvement with Alliance inspired her to go to take a dance course at college and she went on to enrol at university, gaining a degree in dance and performing arts.

“Others have travelled to the States to perform with some of the world’s leading groups, even becoming world champions in their fields.”

The team fundraises to pay for everything from specialist equipment, staging and rehearsal spaces to entry fees.

It is no secret elderly members of the community are just as

vulnerable as younger generations.

The number of older people living in England who say they feel lonely is increasing.

Determined to tackle this issue is Witham Town Luncheon Club was founded in 2002.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays retired residents come together for lunch and a chat.

Were it not for the group, many of the 150 people it serves would go days without speaking to another person.

Head cook Karen Dillane said: “Not only do the funds allow us to continue to operate on a day-to-day basis, they also enable us to run special events.

“Christmas can be such a lonely time for elderly people in our community so we go the extra mile with a week of celebrations.”

This summer, the lottery introduced a new prize structure which guarantees weekly wins to players whose numbers match the winning combination.

Prize draws take place every Saturday night when a six-digit winning combination will be picked.

Prizes will be given to players with tickets which match

the first or last two to six numbers from the winning combination.

For more information, visit

essexlottery.co.uk/ or call 0300 302 32 32.

Campaign films for the lottery are being released every Monday in December.