A BOLTON-based business is planning to give more than £1m to charities in the North West over the next 12 months.

Energy brokers Box Power, based in the town centre, have often given away to worthy causes, though their latest announcement is a bumper one.

Ever since the company was founded, its profits have been placed in a restricted fund, with applications for grant funding from that cash available.

Box Power will have over £1m to give to North-West charities over the next 12 months, with over £750,000 immediately available for charities to apply for.

Co-founders Corin and Tricia Dalby said that they were initially inspired by their son – who has autism - to set up their business this way.

While the original intention was to support autism charities, the fund is now large enough that Box Power wants to help as many charities as they can. The only stipulation is they need to be North-West based.

And Corin said that many people simply can’t believe that the company gives their profits away.

Corin said: “A lot of the businesses I speak to simply cannot get their head around the fact that all the profits we make go to good causes. They think there has to be a catch somewhere. It’s been hugely frustrating actually at times and we have wondered if it has been worth the effort.

“But with us now being able to open such a large fund to applications from across the North West, then it is starting to feel like all the hard work is about to be worth it.

"And we hope more companies will choose to be inspired by what we’ve done and decide they are going to do some good with their business too.”

The appropriate bodies and people who are eligible for the grants can apply for up to £20,000 funding on Box Power’s website.

This can be found at boxpower.org.uk