CHARITIES have been boosted to the tune of almost £2,000 thanks to an Easter market in Petersfield. The annual egg-stravaganza in the Festival Hall featured 70 stalls, with Portsmouth Hospital's Rocky Appeal being the biggest beneficiary with a £750 cash injection. Organisers Martin and Jeremy Holmes, celebrating 20 years of the seasonal event, said they were delighted at the amount of cash raised. The stalls were packed into the main hall, the stage and the Festival Hall's Rose Room, while the wintry weather meant the cafe run by the Eight O'Clock Club did a roaring trade. The £750 for the Rocky Appeal takes the total raised for a new state-of-the-art digital keyhole operating theatre at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham to £210,000. Mick Lyons, the fundraising co-ordinator for the Rocky Appeal, thanked everyone for their continued support and for the thousands of pounds raised for the various appeals over the last 20 years. He said the Petersfield Easter market was one of the longest-running fundraising events for Portsmouth Hospitals. Mr Lyons described the latest appeal as "a lasting legacy for future generations with miracle technology". The first of these advanced operating theatres for keyhole surgery could be ready by August and the QA could be the only hospital in the south east to offer this treatment. Other charities to benefit from the market included Petersfield's open-air swimming pool, which made a profit of £257 from their stall in the Rose Room. Petersfield Guides boosted their funds by £140 and the local support group for the Chernobyl Children's Lifeline netted £163. Cat Rescue made £170 for their work and Petersfield Music Festival raised £85. But charities were not the only winners on the day as Mrs Milton won a bottle of Champagne in the raffle. Other winners included Jane Burstall, Mrs Hutchins and Mrs Soulsey.