Help Warrington Wolves Foundation win up to £20k from the Warrington Guardian

Our parent company’s charitable arm, The Gannett Foundation, is providing £125k in cash to support local charities across the country and we have part of a £20k share to distribute across the north west.

We asked readers to decide where this money should be spent and after being inundated with nominations the Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation was put forward as the nominee from our town.

It joins a shortlist of seven other charities from across the region who will take a share of the available funding.

Now we are putting the power to allocate the cash back into the hands of our readers.

We need your help to make sure that the Wolves Foundation receives a big share of the money.

During November, you are invited to collect tokens printed inside the Warrington Guardian which can then be sent to collection points across our town or posted.

Each token collected will then be used to allocate cash to the nominated charity – so if the Wolves Foundation collects 50 per cent of all tokens collected, it will receive 50 per cent of the £20,000.

James Howes, from the Wolves Foundation, said: “As the heartbeat of the town we have witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by the community in the past 18 months. “The Warrington Wolves Foundation charity is delighted to be nominated for the Cash for Kids appeal as the support of the Warrington Guardian readers will help us to feed children who would normally go hungry during the school holidays.

“As well as providing a daily meal, we will also provide physical activity sessions alongside educational workshop designed to improve the wellbeing of youngsters.

“The more tokens donated to us, the more vulnerable children we will be able to feed helping them to return to school better prepared to learn and become the best version of themselves.”

To get this week’s token turn to page 18 in this Thursday's edition.

You can post your tokens or drop them off at collection points which can be located at the following places:

• Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation, Halliwell Jones Stadium, Mike Gregory Way, Warrington, WA27NE. The collection box is in the club store n Tesco Extra, customer service desk, Winwick Rd, Warrington, WA2 7NE
• Sainsbury’s Travel Money, 100 Church St, Warrington, WA1 2TN n Asda Cockhedge, Cockhedge Shopping Centre, Tilly Lane, Warrington, WA1 2QA. The box is located at the charity table near self serve
• Asda Birchwood, customer service desk, Birchwood Shopping Centre, 1 Dewhurst Road, WA3 7PG n Birchwood Centre Post Office, Birchwood Shopping Centre, 3 Dewhurst Road, WA3 7PG n S&M Hatcher Post Office, 125 Poplars Avenue, Warrington. WA2 9LW
• Nisa Dallam, Unit 2, Longshaw St, Warrington, WA5 0FF n Co Op, Holes Lane, Woolston, Warrington, WA1 4NB  
• Tesco Express, Manchester Road, Warrington, WA1 3NJ. The box is located by the self service tills n Morrisons, Greenhall’s Avenue, Warrington, WA4 6RN. The box is located by the charity book table
• Warrington Market, 2 Times Square, Warrington, WA1 2NT. The box is located in the main entrance foyer
• Warrington Bus Station, 7 Winwick St, Warrington, WA1 1TS. The box is located in the ticket office  
• Co Op, Heatley Mere, Unit 1, Heatley Mere, Lymm, WA13 9UP. The box is located at the self service tills n Stretton Post Office, Tarporley Road, Stretton, Warrington, WA4 4ND

CASH FOR CHARITIES T&Cs: Newsquest terms and conditions will apply where relevant to the grants process; visit newsquest.co.uk/prize-competition-rules. Personal data will be used by Newsquest and its agents solely for the administration of the grants process and will not be shared with any third party; our general privacy notice is at: newsquest.co.uk/privacy-policy. This campaign will be published in multiple Newsquest publications across the region. The value of the grant awarded to each of the eight charities chosen by our readers will be calculated pro rata according to their share of the vote. Only original voting coupons will be accepted, no photocopies. The cash grants will be sent by BACS transfer. Grants are conditional on completion of the relevant project and a successful nominee charity may be required to evidence its use of the grant. The charities selected have been contacted to provide additional information for the readers’ vote. They must be registered with the Charities Commission and have not received a grant from the Gannett Foundation in the past two years.

Here are all the finalists in the running for the £20,000 Gannett Foundation funding:

• Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation, Halliwell Jones Stadium

What they do: The charity aims to empower the community to take up inclusive sport, health and educational opportunities by creating a sense of belonging, leading to improved wellbeing and life chances. Projects target vulnerable beneficiaries from marginalised groups within Warrington including those with disabilities alongside BAME and LGBTQ+ individuals. With a specific focus on socially deprived areas, the foundation aims to address various health and social inequalities which exist. 
What the money would be used for: The foundation needs funding to provide activities for children who are eligible for free school meals and support children in the most deprived areas of Warrington. The activity allows the charity to encourage, promote and engage children in physical activity during the holidays while providing healthy nutritious meals and snacks.

• Hope Centre, St Helens

What they do: The charity supports people across St Helens in need – especially those facing challenges including homelessness, food poverty, unemployment and poor mental health. 
What the money would be used for: To extend homeless day support throughout Christmas, giving individuals somewhere safe and warm to go to when other services are closed.

• The Joshua Tree, Sandiway, Northwich

What they do: The Joshua Tree works to support and improve the emotional well-being and mental health of family members affected by childhood cancer in the north west and North Wales.

What the money would be used for: 
To support a family affected by childhood cancer for 12 months, providing them with specialised support services and activities. The charity has seen a significant increase in demand and more than double the number of referrals in the past five months.  

• Bury Cancer Support Centre, Bury 

What they do: The charity supports those whose life is touched by cancer, patients, their families, carers and those bereaved. A range of support is offered, tailored to each person’s needs for as long as is needed, including counselling, mental health and wellbeing courses, and social sessions.
What the money would be used for: To buy an electric multi-functional treatment couch. This will provide a safe platform on which complementary therapies can be delivered to the most vulnerable patients. 

• Halliwell Befriending Service, Bolton

What they do: The charity offers a visiting and support befriending service along with a variety of activities including luncheons, craft groups, health and wellbeing sessions including mindfulness and social activities.
What the money would be used for: 
The funding would be beneficial for the computer groups that help those who are elderly and isolated in the community and who need help digitally, including some who are in digital poverty due to low incomes. The funding would provide them with valuable equipment and training. 

• Friends of Sunnyhurst Wood, Darwen

What they do: Preserve and maintain Sunnyhurst Wood for the benefit of the community. This involves co-ordinating volunteer work and organising events to encourage use of the wood by as many people as possible.
What the money would be used for: The restoration of the Ellis Fish pond which has become neglected due to lack of funding and maintenance. The fish pond dates back many years and has been an attraction for adults and children alike but is now completely covered in silt and vegetation. 

• Dal Dy Dir, Ceri, Powys

What they do: They work with people with disabilities on a five-acre smallholding running volunteer programmes and short breaks for young people and families. 
What the money would be used for: To create an outdoor kitchen/dining area that is accessible to everyone regardless of their physical ability. The volunteers will develop a community dining programme to support young people and create educational opportunities and social networks.

• Autism Together, Wirral 

What they do: Support people with autism and their families. One of their projects is running autism advice sessions. There they offer all sorts of advice and support from coping strategies to employment advice.
What the money would be used for: To provide resources and sensory equipment to assist the charity with offering vital free access to the charity’s autism advice sessions. These give much-needed, personalised advice on any aspect of autism.