Six charities based in Avon, including Radstock, are celebrating after receiving donations of £1,000 each as part of Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards.

For the fifth year running, Benefact Group is giving away over £1million to charities through its Movement for Good Awards. Members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts, with 150 awards of £1,000 announced today.

Search and Scan, in Radstock, a group of volunteers helping to reunite lost pets with their owners, Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary, a local charity that rescues and rehomes unwanted, abandoned and often mistreated cats and dogs, and Sight Research UK, which funds research into sight-threatening conditions across the UK, are some of the local charities set to benefit from the money, following overwhelming public support in the county. Kind-hearted Avon residents donated their time and submitted more than 4,400 nominations for charities close to their hearts, with over 280 local causes receiving votes.

More than 15,000 charitable causes in the UK and Ireland received votes, thanks to over 250,000 nominations from supporters. The 150 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated, following 150 previous winners being selected in June. Further donations will be awarded throughout the year.

Since the awards began, nearly 2million people have nominated and made a difference to communities all across the UK and Ireland with more than £5million given to over 2,500 charities.

This year, 420 charities will be awarded £1,000 donations, while 40 good causes will be awarded £5,000 via special grants throughout the year, aimed at helping charities in specific sectors. Winners will be drawn at random and the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected. Further donations totalling £500,000 will also be given in larger amounts later this year.

To find out how to support the Movement for Good Awards and to nominate a cause you care about visit here.

Thanking supporters in Avon, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “We would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause as part of our Movement for Good Awards. Benefact Group is the third largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, all of its available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”

Benefact Group has donated almost £200million to charitable causes since 2014 and has been recognised as the third biggest corporate giver in the UK1. The organisation aims to reach £250million in donations by 2025.

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.

Full list of winning Avon charities: