Primula surprises local charities with six-figure donation

Cheese brand Primula has made a surprise donation totalling £105,000 to three local charities nominated by its team.

The charities Changing Lives, Bede Community Primary School and St Aiden’s Cottage believed they were attending to present their case to receive funding. Instead, all three causes were presented with the donation.

“We are overjoyed to receive such a fantastic donation from Primula Cheese,” Helen Aitchison of Changing Lives said.

“When we arrived today, alongside the other two beneficiaries, we did not expect a donation of £65,000 to be coming our way. This money will allow us to continue to provide thousands of meals to vulnerable people and families across the North East. We are incredibly grateful for the donation and cannot thank Primula Cheese enough.”

Changing Lives is dedicated to helping people experiencing hardships such as homelessness, sexual exploitation and poverty to rebuild their lives.

Bede Community Primary School received a donation of £35,000, which will be used to create a sensory room access to learning for children with special educational needs and barriers to learning.

St Aiden’s Cottage provides high-quality specialist support services for adults with neurological, learning and physical disabilities. The care home will use the £5,000 from Primula to create a memorial garden to allow service users to be meet with their families and provide a safe space to remember loved ones who have passed away.

James Annan, warehouse manager and co-chair of Primula’s charity committee, said: “We are delighted to surprise three brilliant local beneficiaries. We look forward to seeing the money donated go towards supporting and improving the lives of our local community.”