Co-op raises more than £11,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust

It is money that will go towards helping young people with cancer in the trading area, as well as providing education sessions on the warning signs of cancer to local schoolchildren.

In July staff in branches all over the county and beyond swapped their normal hairstyles for outrageous wigs, raising more than £20,000 in just one day.

The ‘get wiggy with it’ initiative saw them stand in solidarity with teenagers with cancer by donning wigs while raising cash for the cause.

On average, £309 was raised for Teenage Cancer Trust every single day in 2015 – thanks to the dedication of colleagues and the generosity of customers.

As well as sponsoring events and buying cakes and raffle tickets, shoppers have raised hundreds of pounds through the sale of charity air fresheners and pin badges in outlets.

Generous staff have rounded their wages down to the nearest pound and donated the leftover odd pence to the cause, raising more than £1,500.

And Salvation Army clothing banks in 31 food store car parks have added £12,000 to the pot.

The cheque was handed over in a ceremony attended by representatives from Teenage Cancer Trust and two teenagers, Eryk Gadomski, 18, and Chelsey Whittock, 14, who have both benefitted from the support of the Trust while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Eryk was treated on a specialist ward for teenagers while Chelsey attended the Find Your Sense of Tumour conference where she met other young people in similar situations.

Anne-Marie Carey, corporate account manager for Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “The fantastic support we’ve had from Lincolnshire Co-op will enable us to support even more young people like Eryk and Chelsey in Lincolnshire and the surrounding areas.

“We can’t thank Lincolnshire Co-op’s staff and customers enough for their fund-raising efforts.”

Sam Turner, Lincolnshire Co-op’s community engagement manager, added: “All of the hard work that my colleagues have put in has really paid off in the fantastic sum that we’ve raised for our charity of the year.

“Staff vote for the charity that they’d like to see us support, and they really got into the fund-raising spirit this year.

“Without their dedication and the generosity of our customers we couldn’t have raised such a brilliant total.”