East of England Co-op joins national Christmas campaign to support the NHS

Our region’s largest independent retailer has joined a national partnership of well-known brands that are raising money to support the NHS by selling gifts that give a little back this Christmas.

This nationwide initiative is also being supported by other local co-ops nationally, Starbucks and big brands such as Marmite.

From this week customers will be able to buy a festive bouquet from East of England Co-op stores, with £1 from each sale to be donated to the national campaign. The retailer is aiming to raise £5,000 to help support NHS staff and volunteers. This is in addition to the £8,966 raised for NHS Charities Together during the first national lockdown earlier this year. Customers will be able to buy the festive floral bouquets in all 122 of the East of England Co-op’s Food stores across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

East of England Co-op Joint Chief Executive, Niall O’Keeffe, said: “It’s been a tough year for all of us and NHS staff and its volunteers have been at the forefront of tackling the coronavirus crisis, along with all of our other key workers. Supporting our communities is at the heart of what we do, the NHS is a vital part of this community so we’re proud to be part of this campaign which will raise money to support them.

“Buying a bouquet for yourself or a loved one is a great way to give a gift that gives back this Christmas so make sure you check out our range of festive floral bouquets next time you pop into your local East of England Co-op.”

The national campaign, led by NHS Charities Together, is encouraging people across the UK to ‘give to those who’ve given us everything’ by buying presents for each other that support the NHS. On a normal year, it’s estimated that 400,000 NHS staff and volunteers will work over Christmas and this year it’s likely to be far more. The money raised from this campaign will go towards the organisation’s mission to provide vital funds which support NHS workers.