In celebration of SPAR NI’s 60th birthday, the brand has pledged to raise £60,000 for Marie Curie this year and is dedicating their birthday month to the charity.

June is the month of Marie Curie’s Blooming Great Tea Parties, which SPAR NI stores will transform into birthday parties, welcoming their shoppers for a cuppa and a bun in exchange for a donation to the charity on Saturday 19 June.

Throughout the summer, SPAR will donate 60p from the sale of each enjoy local round cake to their charity partners and are encouraging stores to ramp up the fundraising possibilities in a safe way on the day.

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group explained; “From 2017, we created the biggest Blooming Great Tea Party by hosting over 200 in-store events across our SPAR stores, raising over £182,000 through this initiative alone.

“The pandemic has caused a very challenging year for the charity, and although we were able to create the Pick me up Picnic to raise some much-needed funds over the summer, and donate £30,000 from our recent Buy A Bunch to Give A Bunch campaign for the Great Daffodil Appeal, we are thrilled to be able to get back on track and transform the tea parties into birthday parties as we celebrate 60 years of SPAR serving local communities.”

Each fundraiser will be compliant with restrictions and government guidelines, and Bronagh explains that is paramount to a successful event.

“We are encouraging retailers to create a safe space that shoppers can browse, donate and have a quick chat about Marie Curie and how SPAR is helping ensure services continue in our local communities. Some stores will brighten up the shop floor by wearing yellow in tribute to the charity, some will be testing their fitness with a ‘spinathon’, and others will hold a raffle and have prizes to give away. We are staying safe, but we are dedicated to supporting our charity partner during our year of celebrations.”

Olivia Nash, the actor who made the “Fred, we’ve no bread” line a household saying back in the ‘80s, has also been involved in the 60th celebrations and will be calling into SPAR Sunnyside Street to meet shoppers and staff for their event on the 19th June

The initiative will be supported by a full marketing campaign for retailers taking part, including SPAR in store radio announcements, a Q Radio partnership and competition with extra exposure across SPAR NI social media channels and website. Tayto have also come on board as sponsors of the initiative.

Bronagh added; “It’s fantastic to have Tayto on board as they will really bring the party to life with their selection of crisps and popcorn. They have also contributed fabulous prizes for shoppers to get their hands on and join in on the celebrations.”

Conor O’Kane, Senior Partnership Manager at Marie Curie added; “Yet again, SPAR NI has surpassed our expectations and planned a fantastic initiative to include us in their birthday celebrations. To pledge £60K to Marie Curie during their birthday year means that we could provide 3,000 extra hours of nursing care in the community or provide a 24-hour stay in our Hospice for 150 patients to get the hands-on care they need.

“We’re looking forward to joining our retailer friends at SPAR NI on Saturday 19 June for a morning of safe and fun fundraising.”

For more on SPAR NI’s birthday celebration plans, visit spar-ni.co.uk.

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