JUST call him the Easter Bunny!

Wantage’s charity champion Ray Collins and a team of super (market) assistants have collected a whopping 500 Easter eggs for those less fortunate in the community.

However he is still hoping to get another 400 in his Easter basket (or trolley) by the end of the month in order to match last year’s total.

The collection is all in aid of day centres, schools, hospitals and hostels around Oxfordshire.

Mr Collins, who runs the Ray Collins Charitable Trust on the side of his day job managing Peter Ledbury electricals in Wantage, explained: “Eggs will be delivered to all the local day centres, Fitzwaryn special school, Oxford Children’s Hospital, Ronald MacDonald House, Sobell House Hospice.

“All the guests at the trust’s Easter Sunday dinner will also be able to receive a wonderful Easter egg parcel of treats.

“Every egg we collect will put a huge smile on hundreds of very deserving faces.”

Among those who have been helping with the collection are Waitrose in Wantage and the team at the town’s Sainsbury’s store, pictured here.

Sainsbury’s department manager Tracey Shrewsbury said: “Ray’s charity is really popular, and as part of Sainsbury’s charitable work each store supports their community.

“We are very happy to be able to support a local organisation.”

This year’s trolley collection at Waitrose has now finished by Mr Collins is hoping to carry on collecting at Sainsbury’s until the end of March.

He urged people to pop an egg in the trolley if they could, adding: “We still need a huge amount of eggs to help everyone we did last year so please pop in and see our volunteers and donate if you can.

“Every egg is a huge smile on a hundreds of very deserving faces and that is priceless.

“With your help and our volunteers together we can make a real difference in our community.”

Some of the eggs collected will be handed out to guests at the trust’s annual Easter Sunday lunch for the lonely and elderly, which this year will be held for the first time at Grove Rugby Club.

Find out more about the charity and its work at raycollinstrust.org