Hundreds of co-op colleagues and their customers have helped to raise nearly £10,000 for local good causes.
The funding has been matched by Southern Co-op which has given £10,000 to the charity and store which raised the most money during its Charity Awareness Week.
The independent, regional co-operative, runs an annual awareness week each year for its retail stores and funeral branches to raise awareness or money for a local cause.
This year 50 branches took part across Berkshire, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Somerset, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire.
Activities ranged from big to small with fundraising ideas including book sales, raffles, cakes, event nights, tombolas, a treasure hunt, guess the sweets in the jar, the ice bucket challenge and even a musical performance.
Jessica Hughes, Community Investment Manager at Southern Co-op, said:
We love seeing what activities our colleagues come up with for our Charity Awareness Week. It gives them the chance to let their hair down and also do something good for a local cause which means something to them.
These local causes make a real difference to the lives of people in our communities. It is heart warming to be able to give something back. Whether it is a school, a hospital, a foodbank or a homeless charity – we are proud to be able to support them with the help of donations from our customers.
This year’s winning store was The Co-operative Food – Wrecclesham, on the Grovebell Estate, with its current charity partner Brightwells Gostrey. Together they organised a full week of activities including clowns, cakes, ice, bikes, a quiz and a theatre performance. The Brightwells Gostrey centre provides a friendly environment for senior citizens in Farnham as well as a variety of activities and services including door to door transport, freshly cooked meals, yoga, craft workshops and much more.
Maggie Groves, Manager at Brightwells Gostrey, said:
It was a fantastic week and we are extremely grateful to David and his dedicated team at the Wrecclesham Co-op for all their support.
We had an absolutely brilliant time, enjoying a real sense of community spirit, which is what Brightwells Gostrey is all about. We were thrilled with the amount that we raised during the week and then to receive the news that all the hard work had paid off was just incredible, I think we are all still in shock! Thanks to David and his staff, the money will go towards the cost of a new minibus for our clients.
Stores that took part and charities to benefit included:
- Berkshire:Binfield’s Forest Road retail store with Binfield Preschool; and Lambourn’s High Street with the National Animal Welfare Trust Berkshire.
- Bristol and Somerset:Clevedon’s Old Street with Clevedon and District Foodbank; Frome’s Nunney Road with Vallis First School; Yeovil’s Mudford Road with Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance; and Hanham’s Memorial Road, Keynsham’s Queens Road, Bristol’s Church Road, Portishead’s Port Marine, Pill’s Baltic Place, Bath’s Widcombe Hill all with Children’s Hospice South West.
- Devon:Exeter’s Alphington Road with 17th Exeter Alphington Scouts; and Exmouth’s Brixington Parade with The Museum Society of Exmouth.
- Dorset:Verwood’s Ringwood Road with Poole Hospital – Children’s Ward; Creekmoor’s Northmead Drive with Life Education Wessex; and Blandford’s Salisbury Road with The Bus Shelter Dorset.
- Hampshire:Portsmouth’s Winter Road with WAMS – Working Age Multiple Sclerosis; Head Office with The Society of St James; Copnor Road with Enable Ability; The Hard with Undercover Skatepark Project; Isambard Brunel Road with Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association; White Hart Lane with Wicor Primary School; and Western Road with Naomi House & Jacksplace. Basingstoke’s Blackdown Close (Buckskin) and Kings Road (South Ham) with Friends of Limington House; Titchfield’s The Square with Friends of Titchfield School; Milford on Sea’s High Street with Milford-on-Sea C of E Primary School; Lee on Solent’s High Street with Breast Cancer Haven; Andover’s Charlton Road with Andover Foodbank; Aldershot’s Lower Farnham Road with Parkside; Southampton’s Archers Road and Commercial Road with Southampton Hospital Charity; Church Crookham’s Aldershot Road with Fleet Pond Society; The Co-operative Funeralcare – Hayling Island with Hayling Voluntary Service; The Co-operative Funeralcare – Waterlooville with Cancer Research UK, Waterlooville Events Team & SANDS;
- Isle of Wight:Sandown’s Avenue Road with Alzheimer Café Isle of Wight; Ryde’s West Street with The Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum Ltd; and The Co-operative Funeralcare – Ryde with The Wight Brainy Bunch.
- Kent:Sidcup’s The Oval with The Marlborough School Foundation; and Minster’s Monkton Road with St Nicholas at Wade School.
- Surrey:Wrecclesham’s Wrecclesham Road with Brightwells Gostrey; Rowledge’s The Square with Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre; and Addlestone’s Church Road with Sayes Court Primary School.
- Sussex:Eastbourne’s Lindfield Road with St Wilfrid’s Hospice Eastbourne; The Co-operative Funeralcare – Bognor with The Bognor Regis Lions Club Wenceslas appeal; Bognor Regis’s Hawthorn Road with Nyewood C of E Infant School; Horsham’s Guildford Road with The Springboard Project; and Haywards Heath’s Franklynn Road with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals charity.
- Wiltshire:Salisbury’s Old Sarum with Julia’s House.
All of the local causes were supported as part of Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood‘ which aims to help with creating greener, healthier, safer and more inclusive neighbourhoods.
To find out more about Southern Co-op’s commitment to making a difference, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/makingadifference/
Photo: Lee on Solent (High Street) bake sale
