SAINSBURY’S Andover and Andover North are calling on customers to cast their votes and help a registered local charity receive a year’s worth of fundraising and awareness support.

From Wednesday, customers have been able to vote for their favourite local charity either in store or by visiting sainsburys.co.uk/local charity.

The retailer’s Local Charity scheme is now in its sixth year and gives customers the chance to vote for their favourite local charity to be considered to receive a year’s worth of support from their nearby Sainsbury’s store.

This year’s voting ends on Sunday, 8 June.

After voting closes, a shortlist of nominations will be drawn up and the store’s colleagues will then invite the three charities that they feel best fit the needs of the community into the store to talk about how Sainsbury’s can support them.

The chosen charity will be selected based on the reasons given and the store will announce its chosen charity in July.

Local charities that have benefitted from the scheme in previous years at Sainsbury’s Andover and Andover North include Andover Parkinson’s Support Group, which was Andover and Andover North store’s Local Charity partner between 2013 and 2014.

More than £1,000 was raised from the partnership.

The store’s Local Charity partner last year was Andover Young Carers and the partnership helped to raise better awareness of the charity as well as raising money to help the charity.

Sainsbury’s Andover and Andover North store manager Andy Meechan said: “We’re looking forward to supporting a local charity which touches many of our customers’ and colleagues’ hearts.

“The scheme gives us the chance to make a real difference to important causes in the community and we hope our customers get behind this year’s voting stage and nominate their favourite local charity.”