A CHARITY which provides activities to improve the lives of people with autism and their families will benefit from the Co-op Community Fund.

Cheshire Autism Practical Support (ChAPS), located in Mersey Road, Runcorn, supports thousands of people across the county thanks to a dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

Co-op members can now help ChAPS and their activities in Runcorn, simply by choosing the charity online to receive a one per cent reward from the money spent on shopping.

Jo Garner, CEO at ChAPS, said: "At a time when funds for charitable organisations are becoming more difficult to access, we’re incredibly grateful for this opportunity to make a real difference to families in Runcorn.

"We are raising funds for play therapy sessions, to improve the social and interaction skills of children with autism.

"These sessions have a significant impact on the children’s development, and are not readily available elsewhere.

"To help us raise vital funds, we’ll be relying on Co-op shoppers, and we are really grateful both to the Co-op for allowing us this opportunity and anyone who visits the website and chooses to support us."

Every time shoppers who are signed up purchase Co-op own-brand products, they receive a five per cent reward for themselves, and a further one per cent goes to causes such as ChAPS.

Co-op members can decide which local group they would like to back by going online.

Anyone who is not yet a member can join at their local Co-op or through the website.

For more information about ChAPS, click here.