Local good causes have been busy picking up their cheques from our green token scheme which we doubled to mark the 30th birthday of the Asda Foundation.
This Christmas the good cause with the most green token votes from customers received £1,000 instead of the usual £500, with the two runners up receiving £500 each instead of £200.
Around 1,500 local charities and causes across the country benefited from the boost in funding thanks to a £1 million investment by the Asda Foundation over Christmas. Here we feature just a few of them...
Jenna Fentham, community champion at our Hayle Harbour store, shared the photo, above, of the National Animal Welfare Trust picking up their £1,000 cheque. Kat, from the charity, was delighted with the money saying: "We would would like to thank Asda Hayle for this incredibly generous donation. Charitable grants and donations are vital in helping us continue the work we do and helping support as many local people and animals as possible."
At Oadby, our store's community champion Beth Domingo said it was "so lovely" to meet the staff and children at Wigston Menphys Nursery School when she presented them with a £1,000 cheque:
The 9th Eccles Guides were delighted with their £1,000 donation as this picture below shared by Trafford Park community champion Catharine Arnold shows:
Karen Thomas, comminity champion at our Tonypandy store, shared this photo, below, of staff and pupils from Ysgol Hen Felin celebrating their £1,000 donation. Runners up were Rhondda Radio and the 1st Porth Brownies who both received £500.
The wonderful team at Cuan Wildlife Rescue Hospital were presented with their £1,000 cheque by our Telford store's community champion Sharon Fenn, below, who said: "They were extremely grateful to the Asda Foundation and to the wonderful customers of Asda Telford for their votes. The animal sanctuary – the only one of its kind in Shropshire who have been running for 32 years – rescued and helped an amazing 4,805 wild creatures in 2019."
Our Kilmarnock store's community champion Emma Wylie Springer shared this photo, below, of herself and store manager Ellen Rogan handing over a £1,000 Asda Foundation cheque to Killie Heartmates. Emma said: "The group provides physical exercise, physiotherapy and companionship to local people who have had a heart attack. They will use the funding to buy group T-shirts and new equipment."
Kat from Beaumond House in Newark was only too happy to collect her cheque for £1,000 from Sinead Hinch, our Newark store's community champion, below. Sinead said the money would be used to purchase items for day patients to help them interact with each other and keep their cognitive brain function working.
Jacqueline Foster, community champion at our Newport store, shared this photo of herself presented an £1,000 cheque to the team at Growing Spaces:
She said: "The group tackles the problems of social exclusion often experienced by people with mental health issues. Training is provided in horticulture, woodwork, ITC, and craft."
Nicky Pelling, our Bournemouth store's community champion, presented Sara and Angela from Autism Wessex at Portfield School with a cheque for £1,000. They will use the money towards the building of an all-weather games pitch which will not only benefit pupils at the school, but the wider community too.
Our Huyton store's community champion Richard Gowan was delighted to present Merseyside & Cheshire Blood Bikes with their £1,000 cheque saying: "They help to save lives by transporting tissue samples, blood, organs, plasma, platelets, donor milk and medical equipment from hospital to hospital."
He shared this photo of him sitting on one of the motorbikes:
Don't forget to pick up a green token the next tme you're at the checkouts so you can vote for a local good cause.