OVER 30 charities were nominated after last week's launch of the Aviva and the Eastern Daily Press Community Chest Challenge.

This invited the public to nominate a Norfolk or Waveney Valley based charity for the chance to win the Norwich City Sponsorship for a day at City's match against Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, October 25.

Five charities have been chosen to go through to the next stage, a public vote. The five shortlisted charities are:

Big C
Big C is committed to the care and support of cancer patients in Norfolk and Waveney. Through donations and fundraising Big C is able to support the whole fight against cancer. Since its foundation in 1980, Big C has helped fund equipment at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston and the Queen Elizabeth ll Hospital in King's Lynn, and world-class research at the University of East Anglia and Institute of Food Research. In 2006 the Big C Family Cancer Information and Support Centre was opened at the NNUH, offering help, support and advice to cancer patients, their friends and families and which is fully funded by Big C.  For more information please visit www.big-c.co.uk

East Anglian Children's Hospice
Quidenham Children's Hospice (EACH) and its care teams help local children with life-threatening conditions and complex healthcare needs, and their families, with the emotional and physical challenges they face, helping them to make the most of life. They welcome the whole family for a short break together or time to themselves in a home-from-home environment or in the comfort of their own home. They offer a diverse range of services including: care at end of life, short break care, specialist play, music therapy, telephone support, practical help, advice and information and bereavement support for all family members, including siblings and grandparents.  For more information, visit www.each.org.uk or call 01953 715559.

The Benjamin Foundation
The Benjamin Foundation was established by Richard Draper MBE in 1992 following the tragic loss of his son, Benjamin, in a motorbike accident. The charity provides services and opportunities to children and young people across Norfolk and offers support and counselling to 5-19 year-olds, accommodation and resettlement for the homeless, after school and holiday clubs, a youth drop-in centre, pre-school and crèche facilities, special needs youth groups and Restore, a furniture re-use scheme. The services they provide respond to the needs of local communities and are therefore always in demand. For more information visit www.benjaminfoundation.co.uk

Nelson's Journey
Nelson's Journey has been in operation since November 1997. The charity was established to provide a service to children and young people who have experienced the death of a significant person in their life e.g. mother, father, sibling etc. The charity supports children and young people up to the age of 18 years, living in Norfolk. Nelson's Journey offers a range of services including: advice and information to bereaved families, a comprehensive assessment of the needs of bereaved children, individual work, a series of activity days and camps for 14 - 17yrs and three therapeutic residential weekend camps for 6 - 13yrs every year. For more information visit www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk/

The Norfolk Association for the Blind
The NNAB, founded in 1805, is the local independent blind Charity helping some 20,000 blind and partially sighted people in Norfolk. It receives no state funding, relying totally on legacies and donations to fund its extensive services.  These consist of a Residential Home and Supported Housing in Norwich as well as Equipment and Information Centres in Norwich, King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Cromer, Diss and a mobile unit.  11 Community Workers help people retain their independence by making some 7,000 individual visits a year to people in their homes, offering advice and support. The Association also has a volunteer presence in all four hospital eye clinics in Norfolk. For more information visit www.nnab.org.uk

All nominations were judged by an independent panel made up of six respected members of the community. The judges were:
· Jeremy Goss, Norwich City Football Club Community Ambassador
· Peter Waters, Deputy Editor, Eastern Daily Press,
· Chris Goreham, Norwich City Correspondent for BBC Radio Norfolk
· Gemma Passant, Community Group Leader Norwich, Aviva
· Lee Sparkes, Sponsorship Manager, Aviva
· Chris Elliott, Sponsorship Manager, Aviva

The judges selected the shortlist of five charities using the nomination criteria published in the EDP.

Jeremy Goss, Norwich City Football Club Community Ambassador said: "Selecting five charities from the substantial number of organisations which do such good work in Norfolk and the Waveney Valley was a real challenge. Both the quality of the entries and the community's response to this programme has been truly inspiring."

Chris Elliot, Sponsorship Manager, Aviva says: "I'd like to thank the panel of judges and the community for responding so brilliantly, I also wish the five shortlisted charities the very best of luck over the coming week as they face the public vote."
How to Vote for your charity:

The EDP will publish tokens every day for the community to collect. On Wednesday, October 1, the charities will be extensively profiled in the EDP to help you make your choice. So start collecting your tokens now and visit www.edp24.co.uk for more information on each charity.