James Hall & Co., SPAR wholesaler for the north of England, is celebrating a charity milestone having raised £400,000 for end of life care charity, Marie Curie.

Launched in March 2017, the partnership has seen staff across the company and SPAR stores across the north of England, host in-store fundraising activities, sponsored challenges, automatic product donations and deliver products donations from the company’s wholesale warehouse.

Michelle Martin, Director of Development and Communities at Marie Curie, said: “On behalf of everyone at Marie Curie, I would like to thank James Hall & Co. for their incredible support and dedication. This is a tremendous milestone to reach and allows us to continue caring and supporting people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones. Without the support of partners like James Hall & Co., we simply would not be able to support as many families as we do.

“The past twelve months have been a challenging time for so many, but it has also been a time we have seen continued generosity and support. Not only have James Hall & Co. raised such an incredible amount, they have also helped deliver essential PPE to our nurses in the community, allowing them to continue delivering vital care to families during the pandemic.”

Peter Dodding, Sales and Marketing Director at James Hall & Co. said “Marie Curie offer vital comfort and care to so many families in great need, and we are incredibly proud to have raised this fantastic figure.

“Staff from our SPAR stores, warehouse depot and network of independent SPAR retailers have proudly supported fundraising activities over the past three years, including The Great Daffodil Appeal, Blooming Great Tea Party, Halloween, Go Yellow Week and our SPARkle festive fundraising fortnight.

“As a company, we donate a percentage of sale from every SPAR sandwich sold in a north of England SPAR store, and a percentage of sale from products such as daffodil bunches and cupcakes during Marie Curie’s flagship fundraising events like The Great Daffodil Appeal.”

Peter added, “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, staff have been determined to do all they can to support Marie Curie and continue to host creative and enjoyable in-store fundraising activities.

“Since October, James Hall & Co. has also been helping Marie Curie deliver essential PPE (personal protective equipment) to the charity’s network of community nurses, helping ease some of the pressure of distributing enough PPE for nurses to continue delivering essential care in patients’ homes.

“We are absolutely delighted to have hit the £400,000 milestone and look forward to continuing our partnership with Marie Curie throughout 2021.”