Plastic Free Falmouth is one of three groups in Cornwall with a chance of winning up to £100,000 in a housebuilder’s charity competition.

Persimmon Homes Cornwall has shortlisted the good causes to represent the region in its Building Futures scheme, which will give away £1 million this year to projects that benefit under-18s.

The groups have been selected from three categories targeting grassroots sports groups, health organisations and arts & education projects.

Plastic Free Falmouth will represent the arts and education category at the national final, the Children’s Sailing Trust has been selected to represent sport and Home Start Kernow in health.

A public online vote of all 96 finalists, running from October to November, will determine the national winners who will be crowned at an event later this year.

Adam Church, managing director of Persimmon Homes Cornwall, said: “Building Futures is all about inspiring the younger generation in our local communities and giving the groups they’re associated with as much support as possible.

“This year has been another great success and the response we get from such worthy causes never fails to amaze me. We’re extremely proud to have given away over £128,000 already but that it just the start.

“We have three outstanding finalists representing the Cornwall business region and we’d like to take this opportunity to wish them all the very best of luck. It would be great to see one of them win the top prize so I would urge people to get voting when it opens next week.”

Plastic Free Falmouth is dedicated to educating against single-use plastics and reducing harmful plastics from the environment.

The Children’s Sailing Trust offers a programme of sailing on the Helford River to develop confidence, competence and resilience within young people.

Home Start Kernow offers peer support, using trained volunteers with parenting experience, to families with children under 12 experiencing difficulty because of illness, disability, multiple birth or poor mental health.

Building Futures is delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation in partnership with Team GB, the British Olympic Association.

One initiative from each category will go on to win £100,000 each through a national award scheme to be decided by a public vote.

As well as the £100,000 first prize, there will be a £50,000 second prize and a £20,000 third prize in each category, while a further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.

Online voting opens on Monday 11 October and runs until midnight on November 19. For more information visit www.persimmonhomes.com/building-futures/.