£10m from stores to charities

SCOTTISH retailers helped boost charity funds by over £10m last year.
Research by the Scottish Retail Consortium found that £6.19m was raised by retailers directly through charities partnerships, support for fundraising and direct donations.
And it reports a further £4.26m was donated to Scottish charities from revenues raised from the carrier bag charge.
Head of policy at the SRC Ewan MacDonald-Russell said: “It is clear retailers recognise the crucial place they hold at the heart of the community.
“Whilst this report only quantifies direct financial contributions to charity from retailers, it’s important to note the huge amount of in-kind contributions to good causes and even government campaigns which provide unquantifiable levels of support.”
• Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity saw a record year of generosity in 2016, donating the largest total amount over a year since it was formed in 2008.
Nisa said over £1.4m was donated to charities and good causes throughout the UK, with almost 2,000 donations made to community groups, schools, sports clubs and more.