Huge response to Lynn News charity of the year appeal

We have received a huge response from readers of suggestions for who we should make our charity of the year 2020.

Hundreds of people have been nominating a variety of different causes for the accolade, which will see us single one of them out for special help in the next 12 months.

Around 30 different causes and charities, which have a connection to West Norfolk and/or which help make a big difference to people in our area, have been put forward – and there is still time to make sure your voice is heard.

So far, these are: The Big C; Break; Bridge For Heroes; Chris’ Cystic Fibrosis Battle; Community First Responders; Cradle; Fairstead Community Shop; Guide Dogs for the Blind; Home-Start Norfolk; Hunstanton RNLI; King’s Lynn Ability Counts Football Club; King’s Lynn Foodbank; King’s Lynn Samaritans; King’s Lynn Winter Night Shelter; Little Discoverers; Love for Leo; Magpie Centre, West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association; NARS; National Autistic Society; Norfolk Hospice; Pandora Project; The Purfleet Trust; Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn; Royal British Legion; Scotty’s Little Soldiers; Shakespeare’s Guildhall Trust; Suzanne’s Hedgehog Rescue; Theresa’s Tiny Treasures; West Norfolk Carers; West Norfolk Deaf Association.

We intend to put the final shortlist to a public vote, so if a charity or a good cause is not on the list which you think should be, this is your chance to help the cause you think is the most in need of support by the West Norfolk public.

To give an idea of the backing we can give we spoke to Mervyn Wiles, who was one of the leading lights of Red Wellies, which raised money for cancer research in the name of Blackborough End woman Lisa Wiles, after she died of a brain tumour in 2012.

The charity raised £143,000 for continued research into glioblastoma multiforme before closing and there is now a research lab at Addenbrooke’s Hospital named after Lisa, part paid for by that money.

The Lynn News was with Red Wellies every step of the way. Mervyn said: “We used to joke that I was the public face of Red Wellies because I was in the paper so much, but the articles are really important, particularly for a smaller charity.

"They really do help because they keep the cause in people’s minds.”

Nominate online via newsdesk@lynnnews.co.uk (subject line COTY) or write in on a postcard to Charity of the Year, Lynn News, 17 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn PE30 1JN.