A READING charity has raised almost £8,000 to fund a feeding programme for children in Zimbabwe.

Creating Better Futures works across Zimbabwe to support 5,000 disadvantaged children, their families and their communities.

The charity deliver projects including education, feeding, clean water and sanitation.

The money was raised during the UK’s biggest match funding campaign, The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge 2019.

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Through this year’s Christmas Challenge, Creating Better Futures raised £7990.00 in a week.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to our campaign.

"In particular, we would like to thank Reading Family Church for their generous donation.

"We would also like to say a special thank you to the Reading Central BNI Group, without whom we would not have achieved this goal.

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"The funds raised will provide vital support to children and their families in Zimbabwe.

"By providing them with two meals a day, we are helping them to perform well in school, and go on to lead healthy and fulfilled lives.”

The Big Give’s record-breaking campaign, which ran from December 3-10, generated over £15 million in vital funding for good causes across the country, matching donations pound for pound until the funding pot was empty.

Matched funding was provided by over 20 funding champions, including Reed Foundation, The Childhood Trust, Four Acre Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with charities raising additional match funding through their own network of philanthropists and funders.

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Alec Reed CBE, founder of The Big Give, said: “The public’s generosity to this year’s Christmas Challenge has been phenomenal.

"It demonstrates just how much the public values the work of UK charities and the services they provide.

“Match funding has proved yet again to be an incredibly powerful incentive to give, enabling the public to maximise their impact on good causes.

"We’re deeply thankful to our funding champions for their crucial role in this campaign and inspiring the nation to give.”