John Lewis At Home has launched its Community Matters charitable giving scheme at its Swindon outlet under which every three months a donation of £3,000 is split between three good causes in the town.
The community groups will be chosen by staff at the store on the Mannington Retail Park. The first three to benefit will be Drove Children's Centre, Swindon Therapy Centre for Multiple Sclerosis and Stonham’s Canal House.
Customers at the store, one of four John Lewis At Home outlets in the UK, will decide how much each good cause gets by voting with a token they receive when they make a purchase. At the end of the three months, the tokens are counted and the £3,000 divided accordingly.
The Waitrose supermarket chain, also part of the John Lewis Partnership, has successfully run a Community Matters scheme for four years. Last year the John Lewis Partnership donated 2.59% of its pre-tax profits to charities and community groups. In Swindon it donated £10,000 to Asthma Relief to buy nebuliser machines for patients to use at home.
Swindon John Lewis At Home branch manager Dominic Joyce said: “We receive a lot of requests for help so our Community Matters scheme means we can do our part to help good causes in the region.
“Our Partners (employees) will look at all the requests that come in and decide which three organisations to support for the following three months. We’ve already selected the first three charities we’ll support but we’d love to hear from other worthy organisations which John Lewis could help.”
Drove Children’s Centre, which supports vulnerable families in Swindon, will use its donation from Community Matters to fund new facilities in its children’s play room. Swindon Therapy Centre for Multiple Sclerosis, a self-help group offering support and therapies to people with MS and other neurological conditions from the Swindon and surrounding areas, will use its donation to help fund yoga and pilates classes. Stonham’s Canal House, a seven bed hostel for people involved in mental health services who require housing with support, will buy toiletry packs for residents.
Community groups and charities wanting to take part in Community Matters should visit John Lewis At Home to pick up a nomination form.
