The Oxford Mail is giving local charities the chance to take a share of a huge £128,000 cash giveaway.

Our parent company’s charitable arm, The Gannett Foundation, is providing £128,000 in cash, to support local charities across the country and the Oxford Mail is delighted to have a £16,000 share to give away in our area.

And we want you to decide where this money should be spent.

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We are asking Oxford Mail readers to nominate their favourite local charities to be considered for a grant.

It could be that you volunteer or work for a charity, or you may just want to support your favourite local charity by nominating it for a share of the £16,000 cash we’re making available to support great local courses.

Regional Editor Andrew Colley said: “We know the last year has been tough for people right across our community and now is time to give back.

“Every day we get to hear of the amazing work Oxfordshire charities do for people in all walks of life. By nominating and then casting your votes over the next couple of weeks, you can help make a real difference.

“This is a great initiative and one I’d encourage you to get behind. If you know a local charity that you think is deserving, then please let us know.”

Making a nomination could not be easier – simply log-on to www.oxfordmail.co.uk/readerschoice and fill in your nomination form or you can write to us, confirming the name and address of the charity you’d like to nominate and why to: Readers’ Choice Cash For Charity Nominations, Newsquest Midlands, Redhill House, 227 London Road, Worcester WR5 2JG by the closing date of Sunday, September 11, 2022.

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Once all nominations have been received, our editor will select ten of the most deserving local charities to be featured in this year’s grants scheme.

We’re then going to put the power to allocate the cash back into your hands – for four weeks, readers will be invited to collect tokens from our newspapers which can then be sent to collection points across our region or posted.

Each token collected will then be used to allocate cash to the nominated charity – so if your favourite charity collects 50 per cent of all to tokens collected, it will receive 50 per cent of the £16,000!

Oxford Mail:

In 2021, two Oxfordshire charities received vital funds from the giveaway.

Funds were divided between SeeSaw, who received £4,305.12, and Asylum Welcome, which received £1,212.12.

SeeSaw, based in Headington, provides support for children, young people and their families in Oxfordshire when they have been bereaved or when somebody close to them is terminally ill.

At the time, Judith Mulligan, director of SeeSaw, said: “All of us at SeeSaw were delighted to have been chosen as one of the charities for the Oxford Mail ‘cash for charities’ award this year and we have been touched and grateful for all the support we have received from Oxford Mail readers who have collected the vouchers.

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“£4,305.12 is a very generous amount of money and a lovely early Christmas present for us. It has been such a tough year for everyone, and so many people have experienced the death of a loved one this year.

“The families we support have grieved for people they love, often in isolation, when lockdown restrictions were in place. We have continued to provide our service online, by phone and in person, when permitted, because it is important for bereaved families to know they are not alone.

“We would like to thank everyone who voted for us and who supports our work and our thanks to the Gannett Foundation for their support of local charities.

“We will put the award to very good use providing grief support for children and young people throughout Oxfordshire in the new year.”

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Magdalen Road-based charity Asylum Welcome offers information, advice and practical support to asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants living in Oxfordshire.

Speaking last year, director Mark Goldring, said: “We appreciate the generosity of the donors and the Mail’s readers. The grant will help us support the newly arrived Afghan families staying in Oxfordshire over the holiday period, make sure the children have outings and presents, and help everyone to continue to learn English and prepare for life and work in the UK.”

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF