Shropshire Star

Cash for Your Community 2018: £20,000 charity giveaway returns

It's back – Cash For Your Community, our campaign which has helped change thousands of lives in and around Shropshire, returns for the fourth year running, with £20,000 up for grabs.

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In 2017 the Movement Centre received £5,000 to help with therapies for youngsters with mobility problems

Once more, the Shropshire Star is teaming up with our partners at Enterprise Flex-E-Rent to distribute thousands of pounds among good causes in the area.

Since its launch in 2015, our fantastic giveaway has seen £60,000 shared out between dozens of groups across the region.

Last year's presentation ceremony at Shrewsbury Town FC

Charities, voluntary groups, sporting clubs and community associations have all benefited, and the money has been used to help people of all ages and backgrounds.

And now we are looking for more good causes to take part in this year's scheme.

A total of 35 groups will be selected, and Shropshire Star readers will be invited to support their favourite causes by collecting tokens printed in the paper. The money will then be shared out among the different groups depending on how many tokens they collect.

Last year, the dream fund was shared among dozens of good causes, ranging from children's charities to day-care centres for the elderly.

The biggest beneficiary was The Movement Centre in Gobowen, near Oswestry, which was presented with a cheque for £5,000 in a ceremony at Shrewsbury Town's football ground.

2017: Danny Glynn, of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent (left) and Dean Barber of the Shropshire Star (right) present The Movement Centre a cheque for £5,000 to help with its therapies for children with cerebral palsy

The charity used the money to help pay for pioneering therapies which help children with disabilities such a cerebral palsy to improve their mobility.

Fundraising co-ordinator Vicky Handbury-Madin said: "We were completely surprised, we couldn't believe it. It was our first time taking part.

"We were absolutely delighted and can't thank everybody enough for supporting us by collecting the tokens."

While The Movement Centre took the biggest prize, there was still plenty of cash to go around for the other good causes.

Wellington Cottage Care came second, receiving a cheque for £2,000

In second place was Wellington Cottage Care Trust, which runs a day-care centre in the former Wellington Cottage Care Hospital.

The charity, which has received more than £7,000 since Cash For Your Community was first launched in 2015, received £2,000.

Willey Cricket Club, which came third, received £1,000 to pay for coaching its youngsters.

Third-place Willey Cricket Club received a cheque which was used for youth coaching

Also picking up a cheque was Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes, a team of volunteers who deliver blood and other emergency medical supplies to hospitals by motorcycle.

The group took £653, which was used to pay for equipment to promote the organisation's work.

Telford & Wrekin Parkinson's Support Group received £605.57, which was used to pay for life-changing therapies.

The Harry Johnson Trust, founded by Sally Johnson in memory of her son, helps children suffering from cancer

The Harry Johnson Trust, which provides treats and support for children with cancer, received £596.15. The charity was set up by Sally and Stephen Johnson in memory of their son Harry who died at the age of seven in 2014.

Families in Telford received £520.80 to provide help for young children and their parents in the Sutton Hill and Woodside areas of the town.

Dr Raja Bandak said the group did important work in a deprived area, and would use the money on things such as trips to the seaside for youngsters who would not otherwise get the opportunity to enjoy such treats.

Fantastic work

The 1st Shrewsbury Scout Group took £443.08 towards the cost of building a new hut.

Shropshire Star editor Martin Wright said he was delighted to be teaming up with Enterprise Flex-E-Rent once more to help so many different groups.

"Cash For Your Community is always one of the highlights of the year," he said.

"It is always humbling to see the fantastic work of the groups that take part, many of which get nothing like the credit they deserve.

"Cash For Your Community is a brilliant example of how a newspaper, working in partnership with an important local business, can make a real difference to people's lives."

Danny Glynn, managing director of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, said: "It is a pleasure and privilege to again support the Shropshire Star ‘Cash for your community’ initiative.

"Strengthening relationships with the communities in which we operate is intrinsic to the values of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent and we are proud to work with so many fantastic causes in the Shropshire area."

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