- East Sussex WRAS will receive a year’s worth of fundraising and awareness support from the store’s colleagues and customers
- Customers were able to vote for their favourite charity to be considered
- It’s the sixth year of Sainsbury’s Local Charity partner scheme, which has raised over £6 million for local charities
Sainsbury’s Heathfield have today announced that East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) will receive a year’s worth of fundraising and awareness support. East Sussex WRAS is a local award winning charity which help thousands of sick and injured wildlife every year.
The retailer’s Local Charity scheme is now in its sixth year and gives customers the chance to vote for their favourite local charity to be considered to receive a year’s worth of support from their Sainsbury’s store. The scheme has risen over £6 million to support local charities since 2009.
The Heathfield Store, situated in Station Road, has had great success in supporting previous local charities and last year raised £4,352.69 for 1st Heathfield Scouts. The charity will be using the money to help fund the re building of the Scout Hut in Ghyll Road.
Customers had a huge say in this year’s announcement and voted in-store and online between 28th May and 8th June. The store colleagues then decided that EAST Sussex WRAS were the best charity for them to work with to make a real difference.
Trevor Weeks MBE founder of East Sussex WRAS said: “We know the success that the Local Charity partnership has bought to many charities in Heathfield so when we received the news, we were thrilled. We hope the partnership will help raise awareness of our cause to the store’s customers and will help us develop the important service we provide to the local community. We get numerous calls from the Heathfield area, recently we had a 1am emergency call to a collapsed hedgehog in Waldron Thorns, Heathfield, which had been hit by a car, our ambulance rushed to the scene and were able to save its life”.
Sainsbury’s Heathfield Store Manager Chris Sharp said: “We’ve had a great response from our customers this year, both through in-store and online votes. We’re delighted to have chosen a charity which touched many of our colleagues’ hearts. We will now be working closely with the charity to ensure they really benefit from being our Local Charity for the next 12 months”.
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Notes to editors
About Sainsbury’s Local Charity partner
Sainsbury’s Local Charity initiative is now entering its sixth year, having begun in May 2009.
Sainsbury’s stores are at the very heart of the communities they serve. It is not only important to provide great service and quality products, it’s also vital to make a positive difference to communities and to be a good neighbour.
This begins with the positive economic impact Sainsbury’s stores have in generating local wealth, by providing employment, using local suppliers and contractors, and regenerating local surroundings.
About East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service
East Sussex WRAS is a registered charity 1108880.
They won the ITV1 Local Animal Charity of the Year 2013, BBC Radio Sussex & Surrey Community Heroes Award for Animal Welfare 2013 and an Animal Action Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2010.
Founder Trevor Weeks picked up an MBE in 2012 for services to animal welfare and has been undertaking wildlife rescue and conservation work for almost 30 years since he was a young lad of just 13.
WRAS relies entirely on donations to keep its Casualty Care Centre at Whitesmith open, its four veterinary ambulances on the roads and to help deal with the 2-3,000 calls for help it receives every year.
WRAS only has 2 full time and 2 part time paid members of staff but over 70 volunteers.
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