Having earlier this year launched a £25,000 fund allocated to community giving, estate agent Gascoigne Halman has now announced the names of the judges who will select the eventual recipients.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs MBE, will chair the panel, and the other members of the judging panel are John Halman, managing director of Gascoigne Halman; Dame Sarah Storey, cyclist for Great Britain and former international swimmer with 26 world championship titles and 11 Paralympic gold medals to her name; and much-loved breakfast television presenter Louise Minchin.

Applications for a slice of the fund are currently being invited from local charities and community groups.

The closing date for entries is Friday, July 17, 2015, after which the judges will have the difficult task of meeting to decide on which groups will receive a share of the cash.

A shortlist will be announced in September, and those applicants will then be invited to make a short presentation to the judging panel in November prior to the recipients of the funds being announced later that month.

Gascoigne Halman set up the £25k Community Challenge to mark the company’s 25th anniversary this year.

The fund will be shared out among organisations, charities and groups doing good work in the local community, with the independent estate agent wishing to support groups working at grass roots level.

Speaking about the other judges, John Halman said: “We are delighted to have been able to put together such a fantastic panel of judges and are really grateful to them for giving up their time to take part in the selection process.

“It’s not going to be easy, but we are confident that the panel‘s combined backgrounds and interests will ensure we make the right choices when it comes to selecting the groups to receive a slice of the fund.”