This Christmas, M&S Food is putting charity firmly at its heart. In a year when charity funding has declined almost 25%, M&S Food is proud to donate £10,000 to Northern Ireland based Action Cancer in recognition of the volunteering efforts of local colleague Pat McConvey as part of an overall £2million donation to good causes for its very special Christmas campaign. A sign at the front of the store will be unveiled on 3rd December, highlighting Pat and Action Cancer’s brilliant work to all customers shopping at M&S Abbeycentre this Christmas.
As well as shining a light on a number of important charities as chosen by the nine world-famous actors including Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Julie Walters, Oliva Colman and Tom Hardy, who have added their unmistakable voices to nine brand new Christmas food ads, M&S Food has selected 10 colleagues from across the UK who are its most active charity volunteers, with donations of £10,000 going towards the colleagues’ chosen charities.
Pat McConvey, Hospitality Manager responsible for the Café and Bakery at M&S Abbeycentre, has been chosen by M&S Food for his dedication to Action Cancer and the £10,000 donation will go towards alleviating the stress of a cancer diagnosis, compounded by the additional mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will enable Action Cancer to provide counselling, scar tissue therapy and a range of therapeutic interventions to children as young as 5 and adults living with a cancer diagnosis or a family member. Previously, Pat has worked with his colleagues across Northern Ireland to raise over £1million to support Action Cancer’s Therapeutic Services.
Pat, who has worked at M&S for 38 years said: “I am thrilled to have been chosen by M&S Food to donate £10,000 to my chosen charity. At M&S we’re proud of the role we play in our local community and it’s fantastic we can donate a monumental amount, especially during these unprecedented times. 2020 has been a difficult year for all of us and we are thrilled to support our brilliant charity partner, Action Cancer. It is really important to me to give back to the charity that supported my mum three years ago.”
Douglas King, Head of Fundraising and Communications commented: “Local charities are coming under immense pressure and need support now more than ever during these times. This generous donation from M&S is essential for us to support our community by offering new online and, where possible, with PPE and safety protocols in place, face-to-face sessions for the significant increase in people coming forward for help. It’s incredible to see the phenomenal support given to us by Pat McConvey and the whole team at M&S Abbeycentre, they are amazing! Over the years the M&S team across the Northern Ireland region have enabled us to save lives and support thousands of local people and we are especially grateful at this time.”
Conor McLoughlin, M&S Abbeycentre Store Manager added: “We are very proud of the amazing charity work Pat has done over the years and I am thrilled M&S Food has chosen to donate £10,000 to Action Cancer. The work Action Cancer does in our local community is incredibly important and its fantastic we have been able to support them during these times. Pat’s family has been directly affected by cancer and I know the hard work he puts in to support the charity is a way of giving back and thanking them for their support of his mum.”
In total, the Christmas advertising campaign will donate £1 million to good causes and as part of M&S’s long-term commitment to doing good. An additional £1million will also be donated across a diverse range of charities including Shelter, Together for Short Lives and the 35 Sparks charities that M&S supports. Also this Christmas, every time a Sparks customer shops at M&S in-store or online at M&S.com, M&S will donate to their selected charity, from a range of 35 different causes. Through Sparks, M&S has donated £7.3 million since 2015.
