The CEO of Heart of England Co-op has praised his colleagues for their ‘phenomenal efforts’ in raising more than £38,000 to help local cancer patients.
Steve Browne says staff across the food and funeral branches took it upon themselves to organise a host of fundraising activities for Macmillan.
“This is a cause which touches so many people’s lives and our colleagues have been incredibly motivated to support it,” he said. “They are making a positive difference in the area they live and work in as these much needed funds will boost cancer support services throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.
“I’m so proud of what they’ve achieved over the past 18 months – and they’re not finished yet as the fundraising will continue until February when we announce our next corporate charity.”
Browne also thanked shoppers and members for putting their spare change into collecting tins at the society’s food stores.
“They have played a big of part in this, as they always do,” he said, “and I’m sure they will continue to do so.”
Heart of England adds a further £250 to the charity pot on behalf of any colleague who raises more than that amount.
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Sam Buxton, a commercial manager based at the society’s head office in Foleshill, was one of several people who earned the bonus payment. It brought the total he raised to £1,686.
The father-of four, who is also a grandfather, took on a month-long challenge during which he ran 100 miles, cycled 50 miles and swam 25 miles.
He says his family has been impacted with cancer this year and he was determined to do something to help.
“To be honest I had planned to do this even before cancer affected my family, but the impact of that has been a real eye opener,” he said.
“During the challenge my body ached all the time and I constantly felt like going to bed to sleep. Yet finding the motivation to carry on was easy because, while I had the option to do this, many people with cancer are just too poorly to even contemplate it.”
Funeral adviser Caroline Burns raised £1,401, which included her top-up from the society, after allowing her boss to shave off her long flowing locks at work.
The 47-year-old, who works at the funeral home in Coventry Street, Southam, says her hair was 22 inches long, but ended up the shortest it had ever been since she was a baby.
Her efforts also boosted a second charity as she donated her shorn locks to the Little Princess Trust which provides real hair wigs for people suffering from cancer and other conditions.
Managers Susan Packer, and Barinder Khera, both based at the Coventry support centre, ran up another £700 for Macmillan after jogging from Warwick to Kenilworth Castle.
“Every contribution has been really appreciated, but the truth is we’ve had that much help from many colleagues it would be really difficult to mention them all,” said Catherine Evans, the society’s charity and community adviser.
“Much of the fundraising was down to team effort. We’ve had a sponsored walk from the support centre and activities such as coffee mornings at the funeral homes. Our Rugby funeral branch raised £650 after staging a car wash, raffle and cake sale.
“The Society also attended the Earlsdon Festival for the first time and made £260 from a raffle. It’s been wonderful to see so many people doing their bit to help.”
Jessica Zaremba, relationship fundraising manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said the charity is extremely grateful for the “incredible efforts of Heart of England Co-op staff and customers”.
She added: “From coffee mornings to creative fundraising challenges, their dedication has been inspiring.
“Every pound raised helps Macmillan provide vital support to people living with cancer across Coventry and Warwickshire, whether that’s through our nurses, our support line, or helping with the practical and emotional challenges that cancer can bring.
“Thanks to the generosity and commitment of the team and their customers, we can be there for more people in our local communities when they need us most.”
In addition to its corporate charity, Heart of England donates at least £50,000 a year to community groups as part of its Helping Hearts awards scheme. More than £1.2m has been handed out to hundreds of charities and organisations since the project was launched in 2000.
