THE traditional “Tesco Crediton Charity Month” begins again on Sunday, December 1, with local charities, groups and organisations taking up the invitation to collect from Tesco customers throughout the month of December.

The charity month has run every December since 2010 and has helped local groups raise more than £50,000 during that time.

It is the month that the stores Community Champion, Andrew Drayton, is allowed to book collections in the foyer of the store and he makes every effort to fill every available slot from December 1 to 31.

“I feel that it’s a chance to pay back to the community,” Andrew said. “All through the year collections are booked through an agency so when December comes around it’s a great opportunity to invite charities, groups and organisations that wouldn’t normally get the chance to collect and to be able to offer them even half-a-day to fundraise and put themselves in front of our customers can make a big difference to them.”