Bradford, England, 2015-11-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Colleagues at Morrisons stores across the country are preparing to ‘Dress Festive for Sue Ryder’ in support of #GivingTuesday, a global day of charity giving which is being supported by the supermarket chain.
A range of brand new products will also be going on sale in Morrisons stores this Christmas to support the health and social care charity, which is the retailer’s national charity partner, including virtual gifts, cuddly toys and festive scratchcards.
It all kicks off on 1st December, when colleagues will be dusting off their Santa hats and digging out their Christmas jumpers to mark #GivingTuesday, a global initiative organised by the Charities Aid Foundation following the busy shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Stores are also holding bag packs in support of Sue Ryder on the weekend of 12th and 13th December, when schools, groups and community organisations will be visiting their local stores to pack bags for customers and spread a little festive cheer.
David Scott, Head of Policy and Corporate Affairs at Morrisons, said: “We’re looking forward to our Christmas fundraising activities and we hope customers and colleagues will enjoy the events we have in store.
“We’re very proud to support Sue Ryder through our ‘Raise a Smile’ partnership, which is giving more people the best possible end of life care and providing support for their families. In total the partnership has raised almost £4m since it launched in February 2014, which is a phenomenal achievement.”
Morrisons is also stocking several new products to raise money for Sue Ryder this Christmas, including a range of virtual gifts. Customers looking for a stocking filler with a difference can donate £5 towards Sue Ryder’s community nurses or family bereavement support – two key elements of the care funded by the partnership – and receive a fridge magnet to pass onto their loved one, or keep for themselves. The gifts, costing £5, will be on sale at every checkout and could raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Sue Ryder.
Stores are also selling ‘Raise a Smile’ toys costing £1 and a range of festive scratchcards, which are on sale at the kiosk and cost either £1 or £2. Morrisons is donating £50,000 to Sue Ryder from the sale of its charity Christmas cards; while the charity is also benefitting from an ongoing mince promotion, where 10p per pack of beef mince prepared and sold by butchers’ counters is being given to the Sue Ryder partnership.
Sue Ryder’s Director of Fundraising Holly Spiers said: “We’re delighted that there are so many new ways for Morrisons customers and colleagues to get involved in supporting Sue Ryder this year. We’re particularly excited about our range of virtual gifts, which could make an enormous difference to the care we are able to provide across the country.
“On behalf of Sue Ryder, I’d like to thank everyone at Morrisons for their support in 2015 – we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together next.”
Money raised through the Morrisons Raise a Smile partnership with Sue Ryder is funding new community healthcare services including community nursing teams and Hospice at Home services; family support teams and Sue Ryder’s Online Community and Support (www.sueryder.org/support). Our vision is to give people more choice and control over their care at the end of their lives and ensure their families receive the support they need.
For more information or to get involved, call our partnership hotline on 0800 949 6000 or email morrisons@sueryder.org to find out more. Alternatively, show your support today by texting ‘SMILE’ to 70123 to donate £3. You’ll be helping people at the end of their lives, and supporting their families. For more information about Sue Ryder, visit www.sueryder.org
Contacts for journalists Please call 0845 611 5111 to reach the Morrisons press office, in and out of office hours.
SOURCE: Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc