WAITROSE held a special evening at the store to celebrate a year of supporting local organisations through its Community Matters scheme.

The store donates £1,000 each month to good causes, which is divided between three organisations.

At the checkout customers are given a green token which they can drop into one of three Community Matters boxes for the cause they would like to support.

At the end of each month the money donated to each group is based on the number of tokens they receive.

Groups can pick up a leaflet on the scheme at the Community Matters boxes, and people can also nominate local good causes to be considered for support.

The special evening is an annual event organised by Zoe Cadman, the store’s Community Matters Champion, with the support of Welcome Desk advisor Rachel Gurrado.

This year the store also arranged support from its Trainee Cheese and Deli Specialist and Wines and Spirits Advisor Sarah Payne, to put together a wine and cheese evening.

Organisations supported by the Community Matters scheme over the past year attended and paid an entry fee.

The names were drawn at the end of the night, and the winning ticket won the pot for their organisation.

“The winning charity was children’s cancer charity The Joshua Tree, which added a little drama to the evening by losing the winning ticket,” said Zoe Cadman.

“However the other charity representatives graciously accepted their victory without the ticket.

“We also asked for feedback on the format of the evening and received some lovely comments.

“The RNLI said that it was a wonderful evening, with lovely cheese and wine and great company, and it was great to meet some of the other amazing groups.”