CHARITIES in Abergavenny have received a cash boost as part of celebrations to mark a milestone anniversary.

Yorkshire Building Society's agency at FR Ball (Insurance) Ltd, on Frogmore Street, joined celebrations to mark 150 years of the Society helping people save for their futures and buy their first homes, by calling on members of the public to nominate charities to receive donations of £100.

The Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation marked the occasion by giving away £150,000 as part of its annual Make a Difference Week, and a total of five charities in Abergavenny have received a share of the anniversary donation.

The charities benefitting, thanks to nominations from local residents received at the agency are:

Ty Hafan Children's Hospice

St Mary's Church of Wales School

Welsh Air Ambulance

Bee Friendly Monmouthshire

North Gwent, South Powys Breast Cancer Support Group

Paul Wadsworth, proprietor of FR Ball (Insurance) Ltd, said, "Our annual Make a Difference campaign is always very popular, but this year we've been able to support more charities than ever before thanks to the Charitable Foundation's generous donation to mark the Society's 150th anniversary.

"I'm delighted that five worthwhile causes in our area are part of the hundreds of local charities the Society is supporting throughout the UK and I'm sure the money will be used to make a positive difference in our community."

Make a Difference Week is only possible thanks to Yorkshire Building Society’s innovative Small Change, Big Difference scheme, which enables members to donate the pennies from their annual interest on their savings and mortgages accounts each year to the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation.