MANY Sidmouth groups and charities have benefited from a local store s initiative to help its community.

MANY Sidmouth groups and charities have benefited from a local store's initiative to help its community.

By March, Waitrose in Stowford Rise will have given �20,000 to local organisations through its Community Matters scheme, where customers vote for three different charities for the store to donate to.

Latest to receive a cheque from Margaret Edwards-Hughes, Community Matters co-ordinator, is St Nicholas Junior School.

On Wednesday Janice May, chairman of the school's PTFA and its head, Paul Walker, accepted �190.

They said the money would be used to provide a new community board on the bank outside school "if we get planning permission", added Mr Walker.

He said a lot of people walked past the school in Woolbrook and it would be open to use to promote other community events as well as those on at St Nicks.