Tesco Wick Raises Highest Total For Red Cross In Highland

21st March 2008

Tesco stores raise over £25,000 for British Red Cross services in the Highlands

Tesco Wick raised the most amount of money for the British Red Cross in the Highlands, raising over £6,500.

Tesco stores across the Highlands have raised more than £25,000 in 2007 for local British Red Cross services. As Tesco Charity of the Year for 2007, the British Red Cross became the focus for staff fundraising, benefiting from a further 20 per cent 'top up' by Tesco Charity Trust.

Money was also raised from donations on products sold in store, collection tins at tills, recycling schemes, Clubcard mailings and a Christmas charity single recorded by Katie Melua and the late Eva Cassidy.

Under the partnership banner of 'Crisis care in your neighbourhood', all the money will be locally spent by the British Red Cross on first aid training, emergency equipment and care in the home services.

Ian Rideout, British Red Cross Operations Director for Northern Scotland, said:"The money raised through this Charity of the Year partnership with Tesco will truly transform Red Cross services in the UK. Operating in local communities across the Highlands, our staff and volunteers are working to ensure no-one need face a crisis alone."

Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Tesco Executive Director, Corporate and Legal Affairs, said: "People often think of the Red Cross doing extraordinary work overseas but crises, big and small, can strike much closer to home. As demonstrated with last summer's flooding, the Red Cross is on-hand in the UK to help vulnerable people in crisis. Everyone at Tesco is so pleased to have raised over £25,000 to continue the valuable work of the Red Cross in the Highlands. We have really enjoyed getting involved with fundraising, knowing that all the money we raise will help people in our local communities."

How the money was raised
Tesco staff fundraising was tied in to various themes throughout 2007. These included Neighbours Week in March, where Tesco staff did 'good deeds for their neighbours in need', fancy hats were paraded during A Day at the Races coinciding with Royal Ascot in May and shiny rhinestone outfits dazzled at the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death in August.

Donations on products sold in-store involved a two-week 'One of Britain's Favourites' promotion in September where 5p from over 60 products went to the British Red Cross. Other contributions came from a 10p donation on Tesco charity greeting cards raising £250,000; Canon UK with a £5 donation for every red PowerShot A460 digital camera sold in Tesco, raising £25,000 for the Red Cross; and £2 from the sale of every red Prestige kettle and toaster, raising a further £10,000.

The fantastic year of fundraising culminated with the release of 'What A Wonderful World', a duet by Katie Melua and the late Eva Cassidy. Sold exclusively in Tesco, all profits from the single came to the British Red Cross. Entering the Official UK Singles Chart at no. 1 on 16 December 2007, the popular single raised over £134,000 for the British Red Cross.

Tesco/British Red Cross partnership
- The British Red Cross was Tesco Charity of the Year for 2007
- The theme for the Tesco and British Red Cross Charity of the Year partnership was 'Crisis Care in your Neighbourhood'
- The money raised will be spent on essential British Red Cross services in local communities in the UK, including:
- 'Care in the Home' services - Red Cross volunteers providing short-term care and support in the home for people after an accident or illness, giving them the confidence to continue their daily lives
- Life-changing emergency equipment - ranging from wheelchairs to ambulances, used to help people in crisis situations such as accidents, illness, fire and flood
- Life-saving skills - providing vulnerable people with essential first aid skills so they are better prepared to respond to emergencies in their communities

The British Red Cross
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives
To find out more about the British Red Cross, or how to become a volunteer - go to www.redcross.org.uk