IN the last 14 years Swindon's annual Charity Ball has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for good causes.

And as the ball, which was founded by the Swindon Rotary Club in 1989, approaches its 15th year, organisations once again have the chance to apply for a grant that could be worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Each year the ball, held at the Marriott Hotel in May, raises upwards of £40,000.

A total of £20,000 was raised on the night thanks to ticket sales and an auction of lots that included a signed England shirt, and the amount was doubled by Nationwide thanks to its pound for pound matching scheme.

In previous years just one or two charities shared the proceeds from the black tie bash but last year six different organisations benefited, as diverse as Swindon Arts, St John Ambulance and the Smash Youth Project.

Chairman of the ball committee Rob Harman, a partner in Morris Owen Chartered Accountants, encouraged groups applying to give as much information about their plans as possible.

Applications are welcome from any Swindon organisation apart from those working with animals, since the tradition of the ball is to improve the lives of people in the town.

He said: "We are looking for local charities who want donations of between £5,000 and £40,000, and we prefer capital projects to build something that will be in use for years to come.

"Good examples of successful bids include the hydrotherapy pool in Jeffries Avenue, where we financed a lift to allow disabled people to enter the water and the Women's Refuge which used the money to build a play area for children.

"We would ask anyone applying to put as much information as possible to help us assess their bid. We go through every application and then visit shortlisted ones to make sure we understand them."

Last year's event allowed St John Ambulance Wiltshire to buy external defibrillators so that people in the community could be trained to save lives, and Phoenix Mailing, a social enterprise that gives work to people with mental health problems, used its share to buy a new printing machine and other office equipment.

Nationwide's community affairs manager Michelle Leighton said: "Nation-wide is delighted to again be involved with the charity ball and hope we have some great projects applying for money."

Nationwide has for the past two years matched the money raised at the ball pound for pound up to £20,000 and is doing so again this year.