SWINDON charities hit the jackpot to the tune of £15,105 each in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Coun Rex Barnett presented cheques to his three adopted charities; Prospect Hospice, the Willows Counselling Service and the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Movement (CALM) – part of an overall record-breaking pot of more than £68,000.

A further 11 charities and good causes also benefited from that bulging pot.

“This is what we have all been working towards,” said Rex. “I saw this as my year to not only raise cash for the charities but also to raise the profile of Swindon. There are some who think Swindon is not as good as we think it is, but I like to think we have raised the profile of the town as well. I am very proud of everyone.”

The charities themselves were fulsome in their praise for Rex.

Howard Smith, treasurer of The Willows, said: “The money the mayor has given is so important to us because, like so many charities, we are facing very difficult times with previous sources of funding drying up. This money will go a long way towards keeping our services running.”

Daniel McNally from the Prospect Hospice’s fund-raising team added: “We knew Rex was ambitious about how much money he was going to raise, but what he has done is going to make a huge difference to us, both the services we provide in the hospice and in people’s homes.”

Richard Crowley from CALM, said: “Never in our wildest dreams did we believe Rex would be able to raise so much money.

“This is absolutely amazing. Rex has been a fantastic ambassador for the town who has helped to put Swindon on the map.”