SPAR UK partner Henderson Group has announced local groups Tiny Life NI, Mae Murray Foundation, Belfast Homeless Services, and Flourish NI as the first recipients of its Community Cashback Grant. Thousands of members of the public have had their say on the nominees of the initiative, launched to help charities and community groups to continue their excellent work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Group’s £20,000 Community Cashback Grant was launched at the end of April and received applications from hundreds of deserving initiatives and charities, which went towards a public vote. Over 5,000 votes were cast for Tiny Life NI to receive £2,000 and Mae Murray Foundation, Belfast Homeless Services and Flourish NI receiving £1,500, £1,000, and £500, respectively.

“We’re passionate about supporting local community groups, charities and initiatives at Henderson Group, and the global pandemic has made the work they do even more important yet brought more challenges”, said Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group.

Essential funds
“Tiny Life NI received the most votes from the public. The organisation has been struggling to provide their breast pump loan service, which is vital towards enabling mums with premature babies to feed with their breast milk, so essential funding is required to increase their pump kits capacity to meet the demand. £2,000 will secure an extra 100 pump kits for service users.”

The Mae Murray Foundation provides experiences that aim to improve the quality of life for individuals and families living with a disability, medical conditions, or sensory disorders. It has moved their outreach online and needs funding to cover volunteer expenses and adaptations of their equipment and services.

Belfast Homeless Services has experienced a huge surge in demand for its drop-in centre, providing food, clothing, toiletries, and advice to the homeless and vulnerable. 

Flourish NI has a mission to ensure every survivor of human trafficking has access to long-term support services, with face to face contact an important element of these services. The funds donated by Henderson Group will help provide mobile phones, tablets, and mobile top-up data packs to keep communication going digitally during the pandemic.

“These grants will help those people most in need in our local communities right now, and we look forward to rewarding even more as our Community Cashback Grants are donated to 12 more community groups and charities over the coming weeks”, Bronagh Luke added.

Organisations can apply until 20 May 2020 via the Henderson Group website. Finalists will be announced each Thursday via SPAR and EUROSPAR NI’s social media channels, with voting closing midnight on Sundays. Each Grant winner will be announced the following Monday.

Source: SPAR UK

About SPAR UK

The UK became a member of SPAR in 1956 when a group of independent wholesalers was granted the SPAR licence by SPAR International. There are five regional partners in the UK with strategically placed Distribution Centres in each region. A central office, located in London, provides national marketing and buying services for the group and supports the development of the brand.

SPAR has led the convenience market in the UK for many years but has faced increasing competition. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. Throughout the UK, a combination of independently-owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores can be found, spanning forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhoods.