ROTARIANS have pledged their support to a host of charities for the next year.

Open Door, the Rowdy Bunch, Hop, Skip and Jump, Home Truths and Swindon Ten to Eighteen Project (STEP), are the five beneficiaries chosen by the Rotary Club of Swindon Thamesdown to receive funds raised over the next 12 months.

New president of the club, Bob Barrett, said his focus was on local services and boosting their profiles.

Bob, who is chairman of trustees at STEP, said: “I’m keen on supporting Swindon charities because a lot of them are small but do great work.

“The Rowdy Bunch needs a good deal of support and STEP too. We are looking to get STEP a new building so that is a goal we want to achieve.

“Hop, Skip and Jump are just a brilliant charity and it’s great that they are here in Swindon – there are thousands of families looking forward to using it.

“Home Truths is a new charity, while Open Door has been going for 26 years so what we really want to do is raise awareness.

“We have a couple of events planned and it would be nice to raise £20,000 over the year.”

Ten-year-old Ben Morris and his family are users of Hop, Skip and Jump, which was recently opened at Upper Shaw Farm.

His father Doug, 51, said: “It’s a worthy charity and I’m pleased that Rotary are supporting it this year. It will mean the service can become fully embedded in Swindon and become a lifeline for 1,500 families.”

Gerry Meale, chairman of Open Door, which works with adults with learning difficulties, said: “At the moment it’s all new to us but hopefully this will be positive for our members.

“Money is always tight and we are always fundraising so this will be a real boost.”

Amy Rumsey, deputy youth leader for the Rowdy Bunch, a youth club for disabled teenagers, said the extra funds would help.

“It’s lovely because we are quite a small charity so any money we get makes quite a significant difference,” she said.

And Kim Swinden, who founded Home Truths in January this year to suport people who suffer domestic violence, said: “I think, for us, Rotary have shown interest and faith – we are quite a new organisation and they have given us some start-up money. We want to reach the 80 per cent of people who don’t report domestic abuse and it feels like the Rotary club are right behind us.”