Co-op support nets £12,000 for Albion in the Community
Albion in the Community (AITC) has netted a £12,000 donation thanks to support from staff at Southern Co-operative’s University of Sussex store.
AITC was chosen as the store’s charity of the year, with staff keen to raise money for the charity to support its local work. That work includes 31 regular football sessions for people with a disability, one of which takes place at the University of Sussex, just a short distance from the Co-op’s Bramber House store.
Staff at the store began fundraising for the charity earlier in the year and recently responded to a challenge from Southern Co-Operative’s regional head office which encouraged stores to raise as much as they could for their individual charities over the course of a single week; the company then put up a £10,000 donation for the store which raised the most.
Despite Southern Co-Operative’s Charity Awareness Week taking place at a time when the majority of university students were not on campus, the Bramber House store raised an impressive £2,000 – and clinched the regional prize, taking the total donated to AITC to £12,000. Much of the £2,000 came from a raffle, with prizes generously donated by suppliers and other local businesses.
Hannah Ward and Alan Batchelor recently visited the American Express Community Stadium to present AITC with the donation – which will now help fund the charity’s award-winning local work.
Handing over the cheque, Hannah Ward said her colleagues were only-to-pleased to support AITC and praised the support they in turn had received from others. She said: “Our Southern Co-Operative store works in partnership with the University of Sussex Students’ Union and it is thanks to our hardworking student staff that we were able to make this happen.
“It was a lovely opportunity to bring the whole team together to support a cause close to their hearts. We were thrilled to have won the £10,000 for Albion in the Community and hope to raise even more money for this fantastic cause in the future.”
Lynsay Josephy, who accepted the cheque on behalf of AITC, said: “Our thanks go to everyone at the Co-op, the University of Sussex Students’ Union, all the people who donated raffle prizes, and everyone who donated or bought a raffle ticket.
“To receive such a fantastic amount will have a real impact on the charity and, more importantly, the many people we work with in the local area.”
For more information on how local businesses can work with AITC, email: fundraising@bhafcfoundation.org.uk.