TWO Basingstoke charities will receive extra financial support over the coming year.

Headway Basingstoke and Basingstoke Young Carers were voted for by Sainsbury’s customers to become the supermarket’s charity partners.

The partnership will also help raise awareness of the charities.

Staff at Sainsbury’s in The Malls will raise money for the Young Carers, while employees at the Kempshott branch will fundraise for Headway – a day centre which provides rehabilitation for people who have suffered brain injuries The two charities were chosen following an in-store and online customer vote.

Su Bone, from Headway Basingstoke, which is at Fairway House, near Parklands hospital, said: “We know the success that the local charity partnership has bought to many charities in the local area so when we received the recent phone-call to tell us the news, we were thrilled.”

Ed Ives-Wara, from Basingstoke Young Carers, a project of Basingstoke Voluntary Services at The Orchard in White Hart Lane, added: “The exposure and support is going to be massively beneficial to our charity and I’d like to thank every Sainsbury’s Basingstoke customer who voted.”

Basingstoke MP Maria Miller congratulated the two charities following the announcement, and said: “I know what a difference the initiative has made to local charities in my constituency in raising not just vital funds, but raising awareness of their cause too. I look forward to seeing how the partnerships progress over the coming months.”