Charity Fundraising

CHARITY FUNDRAISING £1.5 million milestone for fundraising

AFOOD supermarket chain has announced that it has reached the milestone of £1.5 million donated to its corporate charity partner.

Co-op has been supporting Dementia UK for the past three and a half years with members and colleagues taking on a wide array of challenges from jumping out of planes and gruelling acts of endurance to sponsored walks and litter picks to support the vital cause.

Central England Co-op has also moved to step up its support over the last 12 months and made an immediate £25,000 donation at the start of the pandemic as Dementia UK saw a spike in demand on its Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline.

The total donated over the course of the last three and a half years of the partnership has been used to help pay for the creation of eight specialist Admiral Nurses, additional vital training of Admiral Nurses and the ongoing staffing of the free Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline.

Central England Co-op Corporate Responsibility Manager Hannah Gallimore said she was thrilled that the £1.5 million milestone had been reached and thanked colleagues and shoppers for the ongoing support for the partnership.

She said: “To hit this major milestone is a massive achievement and I’m extremely proud of everyone involved with the Society for helping us to reach this incredible amount. “Our colleagues continue to find new and creative ways to fundraise which reflects just how much this cause and the vital work they do has resonated. From the partnership we have seen just how important the work Dementia UK and its Admiral Nurse service do for families is and this has only become more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic. “As we continue to see how important the work of the Dementia UK Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline is to so many families and as we see the Admiral Nurse service grow into new areas as a direct result of our funding it only makes our colleagues more determined to keep fundraising.”

When things get challenging or difficult for people with dementia and their families, Admiral Nurses work alongside them; giving compassionate one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions which can be hard to find elsewhere. The nurses work across a range of care settings within the community, hospitals, hospices and care homes.

The Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline is also available to anyone with queries or concerns about dementia. It is open seven days a week and staffed entirely by Admiral Nurses, to ensure those with dementia and those caring for them get the best possible care and advice.

Dr Hilda Hayo, Chief Admiral Nurse and Chief Executive at Dementia UK, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff and members for their continued support of the charity. With their enthusiastic fundraising and passion for supporting more families with dementia, we have been able to expand our services at a time when they are needed most.”

Customers and members will be able to continue to support Dementia UK by donating via Central England Co-op’s Just Giving fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/CentralEnglandC oop-supports-DUK and colleagues will be undertaking a wide range of different fundraising events to help raise funds during the coming months.