This summer’s fundraising effort by colleagues at East of England Co-op has brought in the highest ever total from its Local Giving initiative.
Each year, the society runs two Local Giving campaigns throughout summer and winter in which teams use their local knowledge to select a nearby charity to support, backed by a central donation of £150 for each branch.
Two food stores in Norfolk raised over £3,500 for child bereavement support charity, Nelson’s Journey.
Lindsey Muffett, team manager at the Acle, Norfolk, store, said: “It’s been an amazing summer of fundraising, and we’re blown away by the support we’ve had from our local members and customers. We chose to support Nelson’s Journey because of the extremely valuable work they do locally to support children who’ve experienced grief and loss. We’re proud to have been able to play a small part in supporting this and we hope our campaign has helped to raise awareness of the support Nelson’s Journey can offer.”
Colleagues at the store raised over £3,000, making it the society’s top performing store. The team took part in activities such as a sponsored walk (pictured), tombolas and a sponsored silence.
Repps Road East of England Co-op in Martham, Norfolk, raised over £500, engaging the community with activities such as second-hand book sales and colouring competitions.
Nelson’s Journey funding & marketing manager ,Gary Stevens, said: “As a small charity that helps the local community, it’s wonderful to have the support back from a local business and the community that shop there. The funds raised will help us continue our work with children and young people in Norfolk and we would like to thank everyone involved in this fantastic fundraising.”
The summer saw 137 of the co-op’s food stores, forecourts and travel branches join the fundraising effort. Funeral branches take a slightly different approach – instead of fundraising, they focus on relationship-building with their chosen cause and raising awareness of how local people can get support.
Angela Carpenter, community support lead at East of England, said: “We’re extremely grateful to everyone who got behind Local Giving this summer. We set out with an ambitious target to raise £50,000 for our wonderful local charities and we’ve far surpassed that, raising 50% more than our previous top campaign last summer.
“We’re blown away by the generosity of our customers and members, and by the passion our 3,000+ colleagues have put into supporting their chosen charities.
“Hyperlocal community support like this is so important not just because of the funds raised but the connections made. Our colleagues know their local areas well and our stores and branches often serve as hubs for conversation and connection. When we raise awareness of local charities and the support they offer, we’re helping to connect people with the services and support available in their community, while helping local charities reach more people who may benefit from their work.”
Local Giving is one of the East of England Co-op’s four community programmes that have together supported over 1,200 charities and community groups, an effort recognised last year when the society was crowned ‘Community Retailer of the Year’ at the Retail Industry Awards.
