RESIDENTS in Dorset are being asked to nominate a charity close to their heart that they believe should receive £1,000 as part of a festive 12 days of giving initiative.

In total £120,000 is set to be awarded to charitable organisations across the UK by specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, who will be announcing ten winners every day between December 6 and 21.

The causes to receive the money will be chosen at random so the more times a charity is nominated the bigger the chance it has of being selected.

“We know that for many charities, £1,000 can make a real difference,” said Mark Hews, group CEO of Ecclesiastical.

“We’re encouraging everyone to nominate a cause close to their hearts this Christmas to be in for a chance to win a festive financial boost.”

Last year around 285,000 people from across the whole of the UK supported the 12 days of giving Christmas campaign with 17,800 charitable organisations receiving at least one vote.

The campaign is now in its fifth year with the organisers encouraging people in Dorset touse social media to ask others to vote for the favourite cause to give them the best chance of winning the cash.Giving back to charity is said to be important to the organisers who are proud to be able to provide the initiative once again to provide a much needed cash boost to charities during the festive period.Mr Hews added: “As a commercial company with a charitable purpose, giving back is at the heart of our business. In fact, Ecclesiastical is the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK (according to the Directory of Social Change’s guide to UK company giving) “Our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign has supported hundreds of charities over the past four years and I’m delighted that we will once again help charities change lives for the better. Nominations will remain open until December 20 and can be made by Dorset residents via www.movementforgood.com/12days for causes that operate both in the county or around the country