INNER city children will benefit from more respite breaks in West Devon, thanks to staff at Tavistock's Somerfield.

The staff presented a £1,500 cheque to CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids) recently, to help fund free breaks for disadvantaged children.

The money was part of a £100,000 donation made by the Somerfield staff lottery to good causes around the UK. More than 40,000 staff work for the food retailer across the nation, and thousands have participated in their own charity lottery since 1995, which has raised and donated over £2 million for local causes and charities. It has also funded the Somerfield Charity hot air balloon, which helped charities raise a further £5 million during the last 10 years.

Jenny Paton, corporate and events fundraiser from CHICKS, said: 'We are delighted Somerfield are supporting us in this way. This very kind donation will help so many disadvantaged children.'

Jo Arnold, store manager at Somerfield, said: 'We are committed to supporting good causes local to our stores and CHICKS are a very deserving group who provide invaluable support to children from across the UK.'