Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s in Surbiton has thrown its weight behind a charity appeal to raise £1m for a new home for people with learning disabilities.

Fircroft Trust has already bought the derelict White Hart pub in Hook but the Kingston Guardian is backing the Building Potential Campaign to raise the £1m it needs to build a dream home for those with learning difficulties.

It would provide a new home for people such as John, who was forced to move out of his home when he became wheelchair bound, David Stanley Scott, who has donated his collection of vintage football kits to the appeal, and Sally, whose elderly parents want to see her looked after in the future. The appeal will finally see them able to live in a modern home with lifts, single rooms and space to move wheelchairs around.

Fircroft fundraiser Susannah Horwood welcomed the support from Sainsbury’s.

She said: “It is just great. They will adopt us from until March 2010 and they will do all kinds of in store fund raising and their staff will raise money.

“It is called Local Charity of the Year and each Sainsbury’s store has invite slips which you could fill out and nominate a charity.

“They called the three charities with the most nominations and we got it.”

The news comes at the end of weeks of activity for Fircroft Trust.

Earlier this month Ricky Holdroyd plummeted nearly 200ft off a crane in a sponsored bungee jump, watched by some of the residents from the current home in Surbiton.

A Summer in the Garden event selling toys and kids clothes also helped towards the fundraising efforts.

To donate or for more information about the project visit thefircrofttrust.org/buildingpotential or call Fircroft on 020 8399 1772. If you have any fundraising ideas call the Kingston Guardian on 020 8399 1772.

Visit kingstonguardian.co.uk/fircrofttrust for more on the appeal