Nationwide Building Society asks members to vote online for the charities they would like to receive a £5,000 donation, as part of the Society’s initiative – The Big Local – and make a difference to lives and communities across the UK. Each month Nationwide selects three charities nominated by its members from a different UK region. The three chosen charities will each be awarded £200 and both the public and Nationwide members can vote for which of the three they would most like to receive an additional £5,000.

This month, the three charities nominated by Nationwide members are:

·         West Mercia Search & Rescue is a professional rescue team that helps vulnerable people across the region.  They operate as part of the UK’s rescue backbone alongside Mountain Rescue, the Coastguard, RNLI and Lifeguards.  The team is on-call 24 hours a day; 365 days a year to assist emergency services find missing adults and children, or anyone in danger from the elements, including events such as severe flooding. 

·         Acorns Children’s Hospice provides respite and end of life care for babies, children and young people up to the age of 18 from three hospices in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester.  They service the seven Counties that make up the Heart of England and also deliver an Integrated Care Model that enables them to support families in their own homes.

·         West Mercia Women’s Aid works with victims of domestic violence and abuse, primarily women and children. They have a mission to reduce and ultimately eliminate domestic abuse, as well as provide high quality services for victims and survivors. They aim to safeguard, build resilience and confidence and empower survivors towards a safer and better life after domestic abuse.

To take part in the Big Local initiative, readers can visit http://your.nationwide.co.uk/thebiglocal to vote for their preferred charity – voters can also share their choice with friends and family on Nationwide’s Facebook page to generate even more votes. 

Chloe Keen, Senior Citizenship Manager at Nationwide, commented: “The Big Local is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the vital work many charities do across the UK, and we want our members to decide who benefits. We can only have one winner so we encourage you to get involved and cast your vote. It’s easy to do and could make a huge difference to lives and communities across the West Midlands.”

The Big Local forms part of Nationwide’s ‘Living on your side’ initiative, which has seen the Society commit to investing and unlocking £15 million for local communities by 2017. 

To nominate a charity that you think should be supported by Nationwide in the future and to find out more about Nationwide’s ‘Living on your side’ initiative, please visit www.nationwide.co.uk or your local branch. The Big Local winner will be announced on the Nationwide Facebook page at the end of the month.