One Stop said it has raised £902,000 over the past 12 months for many local charities and good causes, as well as its three national charity partners: Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan and Children in Need.
"We’re absolutely thrilled to have reached this amount and can’t thank our customers enough for the support and generosity they have shown," Liz Fox, head of sustainability and social responsibility at One Stop, commented.
"We’re incredibly proud of our colleagues who have worked tirelessly to raise money and awareness in so many ways and with such resourcefulness, often under the weight of external pressures. It’s wonderful to see how communities come together for such great causes and this has really spurred us on to raise the bar for the next year!"
Between March 2021 and February 2022 One Stop raised £147,000 for Children in Need – signifying a record year for this charity alone and the most raised by One Stop. £111,000 was raised for Alzheimer’s Society and £54,000 for Macmillan.
One Stop colleagues across the UK raised the funding through a variety of activities including selling merchandise, donation tubs in stores and the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning, which raised an incredible £36,000 for the charity.
Becky Ettinger, head of corporate partnership development at Macmillan, said: "We’d like to stay a big thank you to One Stop colleagues and customers for their amazing support during the last 12 months.
"Colleagues and customers really got behind the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and One In A Macmillan fundraising event in February, which has been incredible to see. Our partnership with One Stop enables us to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer, and we’re really grateful for their long-standing partnership and continued support."
Another £36,000 was raised from a single initiative for Alzheimer’s Society when nearly 100 One Stop colleagues took on ‘Trek 26’. Donning a sturdy pair of walking boots, each colleague trekked the equivalent of a full or half marathon (26 miles and 13 miles respectively), to support those affected by Alzheimer’s.
Kate Lee, Alzheimer’s Society chief executive, said: "On behalf of everyone at Alzheimer’s Society I would like to say a huge thank you to the amazing team at One Stop and their customers for their incredible support throughout the last twelve months.
"Raising over £111,000 during such a difficult year is a phenomenal achievement and with every pound raised Alzheimer’s Society will continue to provide vital information and support, improve care, fund research and create lasting change for people affected by dementia. Thank you One Stop!”
To raise its record total for Children in Need, colleagues came together around the UK for a huge number of activations including its Sheffield and Worksop stores who organised a stall at Meadow Hall Shopping Centre. In just one day, they raised an impressive £2,000.
Simon Antrobus, chief executive of BBC Children In Need, commented: “Huge thanks to everyone at One Stop, for their support of the BBC Children in Need Appeal this year to raise vital funds for children and young people across the UK. Your devoted colleagues have gone the extra mile with the Pudsey products, colleague and customer fundraising to reach £147k. Thanks to your ongoing support, together, we can make sure that every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive and be the best they can be.”
Despite being a difficult year with lockdown and pandemic uncertainties, One Stop raised nearly 50 per cent more for charity compared to the previous year. It has supported Macmillan and Children in Need since 2013 and in 2019, colleagues unanimously voted in support of Alzheimer’s Society as another national charity partner.
Last year One Stop also announced that over 10,000 of its colleagues across the UK had also become ‘Dementia Friends’ and are now equipped with a greater understanding of how the condition may impact its customers and how they can help.
One Stop is also dedicated to supporting charities and community groups in the local communities it serves and last year, colleagues donated more than 20,000 hours to volunteering.
Fox concluded: "To be able to fundraise and donate to such deserving local and national charities is a fantastic achievement for every colleague in our business. When our colleagues have been managing a number of pressures, including the pandemic, we feel their dedication to supporting others is truly exceptional.
"We’re determined to make this our best fundraising year yet and look forward to announcing all our plans and achievements."
