Thousands of Tesco colleagues have walked in relay from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise funds for Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation
Welwyn Garden City, UK, 2017-Oct-10 — /EPR Retail News/ — Tesco colleagues from across the UK have completed their epic charity walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
The massive month long event was put together to raise funds for Tesco’s National Charity Partnership with Diabetes UK (DUK) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The route was unique to Tesco and specifically designed to take in as many stores and distribution centres as possible. It passed 150 stores along the way.
More than 4,000 Tesco colleagues from stores, offices and distribution centres across the UK all took part, with the route broken down into 51 ‘legs’ of 5km, 10km, 25km and 50km. Separate walks also took place in Wales and Northern Ireland. Overall the walk is expected to have raised more than £1 million.
As well as Tesco colleagues from all parts of the business, Olympic Gold Medallist Greg Rutherford joined walkers for their head office leg in Welwyn Garden City, alongside Tesco UK CEO Matt Davies.
Tesco UK CEO, Matt Davies said: “I couldn’t be more proud of colleagues from across the UK who have joined this fantastic event and raised important funds for our National Charity Partnership. I have loved joining colleagues at a number of walks and hearing the stories of others as the walk has made its way from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
“Over the last few years we’ve managed to raise an incredible £21m for our National Charity Partnership and this event has again demonstrated our commitment and the wonderful spirit of Tesco colleagues in going the extra mile for these fantastic causes.”
Chris Askew, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “Huge congratulations to all Tesco colleagues for completing their epic challenge and raising such an incredible amount of money for our partnership. Type 2 diabetes is a serious and potentially devastating condition; it can double your risk of heart and circulatory disease and lead to other complications such as sight loss and nerve damage, but the majority of cases are preventable. Thanks to Tesco’s support and fundraising, our National Charity Partnership is able to continue its vital work in preventing as many future cases of Type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease as possible – two of the biggest health threats in the UK today.”
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “People living with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke and this figure is set to increase as the population ages and levels of obesity rise. There is an urgent need for more research to better understand, treat and prevent heart disease, and money raised through our National Charity Partnership will help us deliver those breakthroughs. At the same time, we are providing practical support to help families reduce their risk of developing these conditions. We simply could not do this without the commitment of every single Tesco colleague and are immensely grateful for their support.”
Money raised for Tesco’s National Charity Partnership is helping to fund the vital and ongoing work of Diabetes UK and the BHF. It is also funding a series of online and community-based initiatives to help people make small, positive changes to their lifestyle to boost their health and reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease. So far, the partnership has reached more than 17 million people with its healthy lifestyle messages, helped around one million people get more active and supported thousands of families to enjoy nutritious meals made from scratch.
You can find out more about Tesco’s Great Walk at thegreattescowalk.com and about their National Charity Partnership at tescocharitypartnership.org.uk.
#TheGreatTescoWalk
Notes to editors:
• Tesco is committed to helping its colleagues, customers and communities live healthier lives.
• In 2016, Tesco was the first retailer to launch the Free Fruit for Kids initiative in the UK, which offers free fruit to children in store while their parents shop. The initiative is now available in more than 800 stores nationwide. In January 2015, Tesco was the first major retailer to remove sweets and chocolate from checkouts across all its stores.
Source: Tesco