Summer of fundraising at East of England Co-op stores raises tens of thousands for charities across East Anglia

Public get behind fundraisers including hikes, dress up days and Tombola’s to support vital work of local charities.

As part of the retailer’s Local Giving campaign, colleagues at East of England Co-op branches have spent the summer fundraising for charities that are making a difference in our communities. Thanks to generous donations from the public, they’ve raised over £39,000 for 189 chosen charities. With an extra £150 donation per store from the retailer, over £67,000 will be donated to charities across East Anglia. 

At the Ravenswood East of England Co-op in Ipswich, Suffolk, colleagues completed a 70km hike around the nearby Orwell and Stour rivers, raising over £360 for Home-Start Suffolk. This local charity provides practical and emotional support to families with children under 12, empowering parents with the skills, knowledge and emotional resilience to help their children thrive. 

Colleagues chose to support this charity after seeing first-hand the life changing support they give to local people. Mary Poole, Travel Consultant at East of England Co-op Travel, Ravenswood said: “I suggested we supported Home-Start this summer because they helped my daughter when my granddaughter was born. Their support gave her the confidence to grow into the amazing mum she is today.” 

Stacey Phillips, Partnerships and Fundraising Manager at Home-Start Suffolk said: “We would like to thank the team at Ravenswood East of England Co-op for choosing to support us this summer. Thanks to your kindness and generosity we can continue providing valuable emotional and practical support to local families when they need it most. The donations that we receive help recruit and train more volunteers who provide valuable 1-2-1 home visiting support. It can also help fund the weekly family support groups we run that provide an opportunity for families dealing with loneliness and isolation to get out and meet other families. “ 

East of England Co-op colleagues have been taking part in all sorts of creative fundraising activities and ways to raise awareness of charities local to their store. The team at Parkfields East of England Co-op in Halstead, Essex arranged a series of wacky dress up days raising over £800 for small, local charity Travel Aid for Parents of Sick Children (TAPS). TAPS supports families in the area who have loved ones requiring ongoing medical services.  

At the East Harling East of England Co-op in Norfolk colleagues chose to fundraise for their local Rainbows group, 1st Harling Rainbows. Decorations made by the Rainbows could be seen in the store throughout the summer and colleagues arranged a series of Tombola’s, raising over £450 for this charity local to the store. Each store’s fundraising total has been added to with a £150 donation from the East of England Co-op. 

Angela Carpenter, Community Support Lead for the East of England Co-op said: “We’re truly grateful to everyone who donated to our Local Giving campaign this summer. Essex and the East of England have so many amazing charities that are making a vital difference to local people’s lives. Our colleagues are at the heart of our communities, so they see the difference these charities make. Local Giving is all about empowering our colleagues to choose and raise money for local organisations as well as raising awareness of the difference they’re making so local people can benefit from them.” 

Find out more about our community programmes.