SOHAM S volunteer organisations have received a New Year boost from a local retailer. Jonathan James, owner of the Budgens store on Clay Street,and pictured left, gave away more than £1,000 to nine groups, including Viva, Soham Festival Society and the S

SOHAM'S volunteer organisations have received a New Year boost from a local retailer.

Jonathan James, owner of the Budgens store on Clay Street,and pictured left, gave away more than £1,000 to nine groups, including Viva, Soham Festival Society and the Scouts Guides and Brownies, as part of his annual Community Chest awards scheme.

Mr James said: "As a local family business, we wanted to give something back to the community on a regular basis. The Community Chest Awards allow us to do just that, helping some very worthwhile organisations to improve both facilities and the lives of the community. We hope that these awards allow local groups and organisations the chance to access funding, which would otherwise be very difficult to obtain."

The awards were judged by a customer panel at Budgens and Mr James, and given out in a ceremony.

Peter Beer, who runs Soham Festival Society, said: "The Festival Society has a very small budget and any contribution is a great help."

Other organisations which received funding included the MAGPAS Community First Responder Scheme, the Young Parents' Group, Soham Pre-school, the Community History Museum, the Twinning Association and Soham Community Archive.

The 2008 Community Chest Awards will run from January 1 to August 31. Application forms can be obtained from Budgens.