SUPER STORE SUPPORTS LILY
The Riding for the Disabled Association’s Unicorn Centre, based at Hemlington near Middlesbrough is celebrating a huge donation from a year’s fundraising by a local supermarket.
Sainsbury’s in Yarm chose the Unicorn Centre as its charity for the year and raised £3,120. This is the highest amount the store has ever raised for its charity and rivals the amounts raised by the bigger local stores.
Unicorn Centre volunteers and members of the Supported Volunteers Programme helped the store to fundraise by attending every month to bag pack and do tin collections. Amongst other support, Sainsbury’s also helped out with funding paint to re-decorate the Centre during its annual closedown, and supplied mince pies for the Christmas Fair, raffle prizes, fabulous Easter Eggs and bottled water for a sponsored ride.
Centre Manager Claire Pitt said, “We are hugely grateful to Sainsbury’s Yarm for their fantastic efforts to help us raise this enormous amount for the Centre. It will be used to buy a saddle for our lovely new horse Lily, and help towards her keep over the next twelve months. The Sainsbury’s team made us all feel very welcome over the course of the year, and we hope that we’ll be able to continue to be their charity for the forthcoming year, if the public vote allows.”
Les Blackett Sainsbury’s Yarm store manager said, “Sainsbury’s is committed to supporting local charities, and we’ve been delighted to raise a record amount this year for the Unicorn Centre. If they are chosen again, we’ll have quite a target to reach, but we’ll do our very best!”
The Unicorn Centre has been shortlisted again as one of three charities to be the Sainsbury’s Yarm store charity for 2015-16 if it receives enough votes. Voting has started in store and finishes on 28 June but people can also vote online at www.sainsburyslocalcharity.co.uk
For further information contact Claire Pitt, Centre Manager on 01642 576222.
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PHOTO: L to R: Linda Shipman, Supported Volunteer Assistant, Les Blackett, Sainsbury’s Yarm Store Manager, Supported Volunteer Nikki Gardner, Pony Magic, Claire Pitt, Unicorn Centre Manager and Julie Scott, Sainsbury’s Store Trainer Julie Scott.