Vote now for Ripon Men's Shed and help them be in with a chance of winning £1,000.

The “Shed” is lucky enough to have been nominated by the Ripon Branch of Skipton Building Society to receive a donation from its “Community Giving Fund". A pot totalling £2,000 has been set aside to be shared between three local charities, with the one receiving the most votes being allocated £1,000. Second in line will receive £600 with £400 being awarded to the charity in third place. Even at this early stage each one of them is automatically a winner.

Just call into Skipton Building Society in Ripon Market Square-you don't have to be a customer or hold an account-select your favourite charity and then pop your coloured counter in the appropriate slot.

The Society's Community Giving Fund is now in its third year and has already helped more than 700 community groups across the UK donating over £330,000. The scheme this year will donate £164,000, spread across 246 good causes, nominated by each of the Society's 82 branches, with each branch selecting their own deserving charities.

Voting ends on Friday October 3rd.

Ripon Men’s Shed will use the money to help refurbish the Social Room in its recently acquired workshop in Water Skellgate in Ripon. This will include a new ceiling with improved insulation, replacement energy efficient lighting and a wheelchair accessible toilet. The money will also be used to build new benches for the workshop to enable more members to carry out projects for themselves, residents of the city and the community.

Village resident, Tony Johnson, on behalf of the Men's Shed, urges “Please do consider voting for us. We would like to most sincerely thank the local branch for including us-it is greatly appreciated”.

Your vote would really count.

The other two nominees are Ohana, a charity supporting families with children with special educational needs or a disability and Ripon Community House, a community facility for the benefit of the people of Ripon and surrounding villages.