Colleagues at 17 Central England Co-operative stores across Birmingham have been ‘taking steps’ to help raise £1million to support children with disabilities and terminal illness.

Central England Co-operative is supporting Cannock-based charity Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, raising more than £830,000 since May 2012 which has already helped fund specialist equipment for 389 youngsters.

Newlife Foundation is the largest charity funder of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness in the UK.

In a bid to reach the retailer’s fundraising target of £1million, 42 Central England Co-operative colleagues took to the streets on Friday 29 May, walking between their stores in South Birmingham. They walked a combined 500 miles – 1,220,888 steps – with Paul Murray, manager of the Yardley supermarket, visiting every one of the 17 stores and clocking up a total of 36 miles in 14 hours. Team members were sponsored by family, friends, colleagues and customers to put their best foot forward.

David Ellgood, Operations Manager for the 17 stores – who himself clocked up 27 miles – said: “Our team raised £4,717 for Newlife, and had a lot of fun along the way. Central England Co-operative promotes healthy lifestyles amongst our colleagues and this event for Newlife really fed into that company ethos. The important thing is we managed to raise a substantial amount of money to help local disabled children.”

Central England Co-operative’s ‘One Million Steps for One Million Pounds’ initiative has involved stores across the Midlands to help fund vital equipment like manual and powered wheelchairs, specialist buggies and seating, standing and walking frames, stair climbers and communication aids.

For full details of Newlife Foundation’s range of practical support for children with disabilities and terminal illness, and their families, call the Newlife Nurse Helpline – 0800 902 0095 (free from UK landlines and mobiles) – or go to: https://newlifecharity.co.uk

Pictured: Members of the team take a short break at one of the Birmingham stores along the route.

Web: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
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