Charity boosted by a supermarkets generosity

Wed, 08 Mar 2006
 
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A UK charity has had their dreams come true when they were given a cheque for £2 million, bringing an end to their year long fundraising.

The charity looking after the welfare of older people, Age Concern was the beneficiary of the large donation after they were named Tesco’s Charity of the Year for 2005.

The charity said the money will go towards helping older people in the community, especially those who are faced with isolation or poverty. There are approximately 11 million elderly people in the UK out of which one in five live in poverty and over 1.6 million people over the age of 65 are living in social isolation. These people have no weekly contact with friends, family or neighbours.

The cheque from Tesco was presented to Gordon Lishman, director general for Age Concern at a ceremony in London. He said, "This is a great day for our work with some of the country's most vulnerable older people.

"A fantastic amount of money has been raised in such a short space of time, thanks to Tesco staff. The money raised will go some way to helping us combat poverty and isolation, two of the biggest issues facing older people today."

Age Concern in return presented their own Better Future Gold Awards at the ceremony. These were in recognition of the commitment and hard work of the Tesco staff, suppliers and customer who helped raise money for the charity.

The London ceremony marked the end of Tesco’s partnership with Age Concern for 2005 and handed over to the new Tesco Charity of the Year for 2006, Whizz-Kidz.

Ruth Owen, chief executive of Whizz-Kidz, said, "For a disabled child, independent movement can mean the difference between total exclusion and the chance to join in with friends and family.

"We hope to raise £1.5 million during the year, which would result in every child on our list receiving their own customised wheelchair. "It is fantastic that Tesco has named Whizz-Kidz as its Charity of the Year 2006."

Debra Stones, corporate responsibility manager at Tesco, said, "Our staff are fantastic fundraisers and Tesco's partnership with Whizz-Kidz will become part of the community right across the country.

"I know it will make a real difference to many disabled children in the months ahead, in the same way that we have helped Age Concern give older people a better future."

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