A Harrogate superstore is showing a trolley load of support for the district’s growing number of unpaid carers.
Employees of Sainsbury’s store on Wetherby Road have forged close links with the Carers’ Resource – with many even becoming volunteers there – after the charity was adopted as its annual good cause for the second successive year.
And they marked partnership’s renewal by handing over £9,470 to the award-winning charity based on North Park Road – the proceeds of the store’s first year of fundraising.
HR manager Karen Fairclough, who also sits on the store’s Colleague Council, said:
We have all taken the charity to our hearts and are proud to be playing a role in its future success.
The wonderful work it does supporting carers has really struck a chord throughout the store – with a record number of staff giving up their own time to become part of its team of volunteers and getting a first-hand insight into the world of the carer.
For many, it was the first time they had done any volunteering work and it is tribute to the esteem in which the charity is held that so many wanted to get involved so closely.
Staff laid on fashion shows for carers; gave talks on everything from pharmacy to online shopping, laid on thank you lunches for other volunteers; and marked Sainsbury’s sponsorship of the 2012 Paralympic Games by bringing games and organising sports at the young carers youth club.
Caroline Strike, one of the Sainsbury’s team members who pushed for success, added:
Staff have taken a genuine interest in the work of the charity and worked hard both inside and outside of the store to add an extra dimension to its programme of support.
The first year of fund-raising more than doubled our original target – and, because of the way we have got to know the charity over the last year, we are all spurred on to support in in bigger and better ways over the next 12 months.
Anne Wells, events and fundraising manager at the Carers’ Resource, said:
The Sainsbury ‘family’ in Harrogate – both staff and shoppers alike – has risen to the challenge.
We would like to thank all those who have contributed – not just in helping to raise so much, but also in giving their time to heighten awareness of the plight of carers and joining us whenever they have had the time to be very much part of the ‘team’.
Harrogate has witnessed a sharp rise in the number of carers in recent years – and this figure is poised to increase further.
The Carers’ Resource has helped over 15,000 carers since it launched 17 years ago and, in addition to an office in Harrogate, has a base at Ripon.
