CHESHIRE charities have received a £1,000 donation after being nominated by members of the public.

Hope Central (Handforth) and Cheshire Autism Practical Support (Northwich) are two of seven charities in Cheshire who have benefited from a donation as part of the Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards, where members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts.

Hope Central is a Christian charity ‘committed to bringing hope and relieving poverty in Cheshire East’.

Cheshire Autism Practical Support (ChAPS) offers help and advice to people on the autism spectrum and their families.

In total, more than 202,000 people around the UK supported the Movement for Good awards, with more than 3,900 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes.

The 250 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated, following 250 previous winners being selected in June.

You can find out more at movementforgood.com

Thanking supporters in Cheshire, 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 fourth 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.

“As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do.

“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.”

A further 120 £1,000 grants will be given away in December and £500,000 will also be given in larger grants later this year.