−−−−− BY LINZI DAVIES −−−−−
The bank holiday weekend of 29th and 30th April saw Tesco colleagues turn pink in support of Cancer Research UK. All staff wore pink to promote Race for Life with other events going on in store such as bake sales and bike riding. All the proceeds from the in-store events went to Cancer Research UK and volunteers for the charity were available in the large format stores taking part for customers and colleagues wanting to take part in Race for Life to sign up and get their race number there and then!
This annual event is all part of Tesco’s partnership with Cancer Research UK which began 16 years ago and in that time the company has raised a whopping £40 million for the charity! Over £20 million of that has been raised through their sponsorship of Race for Life and has been generated through in-store events, staff fundraising activities and the sale of Cancer Research UK products. Since the sponsorship began in 2002 nearly 300,000 Tesco colleagues have taken part in a Race for Life event, with Tesco paying the entrance fee for any of their employees wanting to enter.
The money Tesco raises goes to specifically fund research into the prevention of cancer. Nick Gaynor, Executive Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships at Cancer Research UK said “We are overwhelmed by the fantastic support Tesco and their colleagues have given us over the last 16 years and thank everyone who has contributed to achieving this amazing total of £40 million. With Tesco’s support our scientists have been able to continue our work to look at how we can prevent people from getting cancer. We know that four out of ten cancers are linked to preventable causes and thanks to our partnership with Tesco, Cancer Research UK researchers and clinicians are making great progress and bringing forward the day when we will beat cancer.”
In addition to the ‘Tesco Turns Pink’ event, Tesco is aiming to raise over £350,000 through the sale of Cancer Research UK products during the three-month period of April, May and June, so there is still plenty of time to show your support and purchase something in your local store.
The team at the Yorkshire Reporter would like to wish all Tesco colleagues and everyone else taking part in the Race for Life the best of luck!
