ACTRESS Donna Air was joined by Ludlow MP Philip Dunne for an initiative that will enable people to give to charity as they shop.

The MP showed his support at a Westminster event for Care2Save.co.uk, the newly-launched shopping website that will help raise funds for charities across south Shropshire when people shop online.

Donna Air, actress, designer and supporter of Care2Save, was also at the event, having recently revealed that her grandfather is suffering from dementia and is being cared for in a hospice.

Online spending over Christmas is predicted to reach an all-time high of £13bn. If just five per cent of purchases are made through Care2Save.co.uk, £19.5m could be raised for good causes this festive season.

Care2Save enables people to support their chosen charity this Christmas and each time they shop in the future. It also provides much-needed funds for the hospice sector, a service which most families will need at some point.

“I was pleased to learn about Care2Save in Parliament and to find out how the Severn Hospice in Shropshire could benefit from this scheme," said Mr Dunne.

Care2Save claims to be unique in the UK, as it is the only charity owned and run shopping website that gives 100% of the money that it makes through commission directly to the charity sector.

There are more than 220 hospices in the UK, which collectively care for around 360,000 people each year. Hospices such as Severn Hospice in Shropshire stand to benefit from the work of the Care2Save Charitable Trust.