A day trip for local youngsters will be go ahead next year after housebuilder Taylor Wimpey made a donation to a charity set up to help members of the local community in Harpenden.

Every year The Harpenden Trust needs to raise £80,000 to help out residents who struggle to pay their utility bills, fund Christmas parcels for pensioners, supplement the cost of school trips and offer support to families and elderly residents.

The charity received a much-needed boost when Herts Ad readers voted it the winner of Taylor Wimpey’s Community Chest initiative to reward a worthwhile local cause with a cash donation.

The £500 award will allow the charity to fund a day trip for local youngsters next year.

Care Fund Chairman Sue Coad says: “We were delighted to discover the charity had been voted as winners of the Taylor Wimpey Community Chest. Every penny counts in an organisation such as ours so to get £500 means the world.

“That will help to fund next year’s day trip for the children. We do one a year for them and four for local pensioners. These events are a vital part of what we do; it’s about providing little treats which people would not normally be able to afford.”

The Harpenden Trust was formed in 1948 and, 65 years later, is still going strong, making life a little bit easier for sections of the community who need a helping hand along the way.

Mrs Coad, who has volunteered for the charity for the past seven years, added: “The Taylor Wimpey funding is much appreciated, it helps with the finances but also helps raise our profile and reminds people we are here to help.”