John and Irene Hays have launched a new charity and given it a £300,000 kick-start.
The Hays Travel chief executive and chairman launched the Hays Travel Foundation in October with the intention of backing registered charities with a focus on education and medical issues.
Irene Hays said the new charity was a logical progression to a scheme which sees each shop given £500 a year to invest in their local communities and help those in need.
She added: “It builds on this principle of being part of the community.
“We like to build relationships and it is good for the brand but that’s not the reason we’re doing it. We’re doing it to contribute to the places where we are.”