A GROUP of athletic girls are cheering a lottery win which will keep them in pom-poms for years to come.

The Babettes Cheerleaders squad, which boasts 24 girls from seven to 13-years-old, was given £3,110 on Thursday last week (Jan 31) by National Lottery Awards for All.

Gillian Kent, who manages the group, said: "It's fantastic. We have been short of cash since we started in 1994."

The squad, based at Eastcote Hockey Club, King's College Road, Ruislip, bought a stereo system and safety mats so the girls can perform complex moves such as the human pyramid for their displays.

But most of the cash will be spent on buying new uniforms so the team can perform in more competitions.

Other local groups awarded a share of the funding were: Botwell House Roman Catholic Primary School, Bottler Lane, Ayes got £550 to start an after-school football club; Airfield Junior School, High Street, Airfield received £3,500 for its gymnastics club; Tamil United Club received £4,740 to set up a cricket club.

From a separate lottery fund Age Concern Hillingdon received £39,605 for its gardening and DIY aid scheme hiring unpaid volunteers to do manual tasks in the home and garden for the elderly.

And Crown Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, based in Chestnut Avenue, West Drayton, received £50,250, over two years, to buy communication aids such as mini-coms, and the hiring of interpreters.