YOU DECIDE: Vote on how to split £20,000 cash between charities

Our parent company’s charitable arm, The Gannett Foundation, is providing a six-figure sum to support local charities across the country and we are delighted to have a £20,000 share of that money to give away in our area.

We asked you to decide where this money should be spent and received thousands of nominations, then our editorial team chose a shortlist of eight charities from these nominations, which will each get some of the £20k funding.

But first, we are putting the power to allocate the cash back into the hands of you – our readers.

This November, you are invited to collect tokens from the Adver which can then be sent to collection points or posted.

Each collected token will then be used to allocate cash to the nominated charity – so if your favourite charity collects half of all to tokens collected, it will receive half of the £20,000!

The top two in Wiltshire were:

Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Wiltshire Air Ambulance has been run by a charitable trust since 2015 and saves lives on a daily basis as paramedics and pilots set off from its Semington HQ to help injured patients around the county and further afield.

But keeping this vital operation running costs a lot of money. After coping with the clinical and financial challenges posed by the pandemic, the charity’s income target will rise from £3.75 million a year to £4 million from the 2021-22 financial year onwards.

Last year, WAA was called to a record 1,238 incidents. At the same time fundraising income fell by £500,000 due to cancelled events.

Swindon Domestic Abuse Service

THE Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service is in the running for a share of the extra funding.

The charity has a 24-hour helpline on 01793 610 610 for victims to call and receive help from a trained advisor.

Its goal is to support and empower male and female survivors of domestic abuse through a range of services, including in its refuge which can accommodate 22 families, as well as raise awareness of the issue and help inform government policy.

The team visits schools to teach young people about healthy relationships.

Since starting as Swindon Women’s Aid in 1975 and rebranding in 2019 to better reflect the diversity of support it offers, the charity has helped several thousand victims and survivors to leave their perpetrators and start new lives which are free from abuse.

Others in the running from across our region

SIX other charities received enough votes to qualify for a share of the £20,000 from Newsquest’s charitable group.

Oxford-based SeeSaw provides support for grieving young people. Asylum Welcome offers advice and practical support to asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants living in Oxfordshire.

Malvern Special Families offers a range of fun activities for families who have children with a disability or special needs. The Stroud Beresford Group provides accommodation and support to domestic abuse victims in the area.

The South Bucks RDA in Stroud gives people with disabilities the chance to go horse-riding. The Royal Berkshire Charity in Reading supports the local NHS trust.

Collection points for the tokens can be foun

• Costcutter, 84 Cheney Manor Road, Swindon, SN2 2NS

• Earles Newsagents, Newport Street, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 3DP

• Morrisons, Eldene Drive, Swindon SN3 3TX

• McColls, West Swindon Centre, Swindon SN5 7DL (this box will be picked up on November 15 because the store is closing)

• Greenmeadow Stores, 82 Thames Avenue, Greenmeadow, Swindon SN25 3NT

• McColls, Elendune Centre, Wroughton, Swindon SN4 9LN

• Bassett News, 36 High Street, Royal Wootton Bassett SN4 7AF

• One Stop, 33 High Street, Marlborough SN8 1LW

• Air Ambulance Charity, 2 Maryport Street, Devizes SN10 1AH

• Air Ambulance Head Quarters, Outmarsh, Semington BA14 6JX

• Melksham Cards & News, 4 Lowbourne, Melksham SN12 7DZ

Voting coupons can be posted to Newspaper Sales, Richmond House, Unit 1&2, Edison Park, Hindle Way, Swindon SN3 3RB.

Newsquest terms and conditions will apply.