A voluntary group is urging good causes to submit applications to apply to be KM Group charities of the year after finding the experience ‘fantastic’ this year.

Ashford Volunteer Centre (AVC) is the Kentish Express’s chosen charity for 2018, and AVC manager Beth Peal said: “It’s been fantastic. It’s been really helpful, and really enjoyable.

“It’s raised our profile with the community. And it’s helped us think differently. It’s also brought focus and built up relationships within the team.”

The entry process for good causes hoping to be KM Group charities of the year in 2019 is now open.

One cause will be selected for each newspaper in the KM Group’s portfolio and for its Kent Online website, KMTV and the KMFM radio station.

The chosen charities will receive 12 months of multimedia support, plus access to fundraising opportunities run by the KM Charity Team, including challenges such as the annual dragon boat race, colour run and big quiz and abseil events.

For Ms Peal, the opportunity to take part in and benefit from these challenges has been one of the main highlights of the year.

She said: “The best thing about it was watching members of staff doing the abseil, and the Ashford Big Quiz was amazing. The experience has generated really great memories.

“And it’s increased our profile in the paper. People have come up to us and said they read about us in the paper.”

She added that she “couldn’t fault” the charity of the year experience, and urged other good causes in Kent to throw their hats in the ring for 2019, saying: “To any other organisation thinking about applying to be charity of the year, I would just say ‘go for it’.

“You never know. And you’ll be surprised by what it can achieve.”

Submit entries at www.kmcharityteam.co.uk by noon on October 27.