Leading local media group Newsquest has launched the second annual edition of its Readers Choice Cash For Charities giveaway, gifting £128,000 to good causes in the process.
The initiative offers readers of its 170 news brands the opportunity to nominate local charities to receive financial support in the form of a cash grant from the company. This year up to 80 charities across the UK will benefit from a share of £128,000 from the company’s charitable arm.
The awards are granted through the Gannett Foundation, which each year donates thousands of pounds in grants to charitable organisations for life-changing projects. Gannett is Newsquest’s parent company.
Last year Newsquest invited its readers to nominate local causes they believed should benefit from the scheme. The Cash for Charities initiative received more than 8,000 nominations.
An editorial panel considered all the nominations received and readers were invited to collect voting tokens published in the newspapers to back their choice. The more tokens collected for each respective charity, the bigger the share of cash awarded. The initiative received over 17,000 votes from readers.
Newsquest brand manager Debbie Hellaby said: “Last year we identified that our readers were best-placed to choose the local charities most deserving of our support. Grants were used to support good health and wellbeing, reduce inequalities, deliver sustainable communities, support education, and improve life for some of the most disadvantaged. The feedback from those that benefited last year has been overwhelming and we urge readers and charities to support the initiative to benefit their local communities once again.”
