Shoppers in Slough are being given the chance to help three life saving charities in their hour of need.

Tesco stores across the town are enabling customers to make donations by rounding up their in-store shop to the nearest pound at all manned and self-service checkouts, including pharmacies and petrol stations - with money raised going to Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. This will apply from Tuesday next week until September 13.

Due to the pandemic, each charity expects to see a steep decline in its income this year due to the cancellation of fundraising events and temporary closure of shops.

Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health Campaigns at Tesco, said: "Many of us know someone who has been affected by cancer, heart and circulatory diseases or diabetes. It’s essential that they are able to continue their ground-breaking work so that countless generations can benefit now and in the future.”

Caro Evans, Director of Partnerships at Cancer Research UK, said: “Due to the pandemic, we need help now more than ever before. COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on charities and we expect to see a £160million decline in our fundraising income this year. We have already been forced to make £44million of cuts to research spend this year, and we’ll need to reduce the amount of research we fund annually.

“By rounding up their shop to the nearest pound or making a donation, Tesco customers can make a huge difference in helping us continue our vital work to save more lives.”

This was echoed by Amanda Bringans, Director of Fundraising for the British Heart Foundation, who said:

“Like many organisations, the British Heart Foundation has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the temporary closure of our shops, the cancellation of fundraising events and the delay or pause of many charitable projects have severely reduced our income.

“As a result, our research budget is likely to drop by £50million this year."