THE Wilko store on Holton Road, Barry, has helped to raise a staggering £67,367 for Welsh charities by donating all proceeds from a carrier bag charge introduced by the Welsh government in 2011.

Nearly 1.8 million carrier bags were sold for 5p each over a 12 month period across 25 Welsh Wilko stores, including the one in Barry.

The money raised will be split between five Welsh charities: Keep Wales Tidy, Ty Hafan, Wales Air Ambulance, Age UK Cymru and The Pettifor Trust. Each of these worthy causes will receive £13,473.

Marek Jones, store manager at the Barry Wilko, said: “Once again this donation of bag charges has helped us to raise an amazing amount in just 12 months.

"I’m glad our store got the chance to be part of this great scheme for the third year, which should help make the Barry community a better place for everyone, by supporting great causes and cutting down on litter.”

Katie Burney, charity officer at Wilko head office, said: “We were very happy to donate the money raised through the carrier bag charge to these five very worthy charities and would like to thank our customers in Barry for their continued support.

“Each of the recipients plays an important part in the Welsh community and we’re sure a donation of nearly £13,500 will go a long way towards helping them continue their invaluable work across the country.

“At Wilko, we are keen to encourage our customers to re-use and recycle and have a wide range of re-usable bags available to further help the environment.”