Wrexham Co-op store raise funds to help give young people a voice with sponsored silence to support charity partner, Barnardo's

28 October 2023

Co-op’s Borras Park, Wrexham, store has raised more than £1,000 to help give young people a voice through a sponsored silence to raise funds and awareness for charity partner, Barnardo’s.

Pat Gillam, 65, took on the challenge as she is described as being “well liked and, very popular and chatty with the store’s regular customers, and the heart and soul of the store” - and the store team knew that remaining quiet would not be easy for Pat.

After remaining silent for six hours, Pat and the store team raised £1,140. Money that will be donated to Co-op’s charity partner, Barnardo’s.

Pat said: “I knew I would find it hard, staying silent doesn’t come naturally to me as I enjoy talking to our regular customers – but it is such a great cause, and we had a wonderful response from Members, colleagues and customers. The whole team is getting behind raising funds and awareness to support young people through Co-op’s charity partnership with Barnardo’s.”

Co-op is working with Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, and aims to raise £5Million to support 750,000 young people across the UK to access basic needs like food, manage their mental wellbeing and take advantage of opportunities for their future.

To find out more about how Co-op is creating a fairer future for young people, and how Members and customers can donate online or in-store to support 750,000 young people UK-wide, visit coop.co.uk/SupportYoungPeople

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About Co-op:
Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives with interests across food, funerals, insurance and legal services. Owned by millions of UK consumers, the Co-op operates over 2,400 food stores, over 800 funeral homes and provides products to over 5,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies and through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited. Employing almost 60,000 people, the Co-op has an annual turnover of over £11billion and is a recognised leader for its social goals and community-led programmes. The Co-op exists to meet members’ needs and stand up for the things they believe in.

Further information:
Andrew Torr
Senior Press Officer, Co-op Press Office
M: 07702505551
E: andrew.torr@coop.co.uk