SPAR UK has awarded more than 50 charities and local causes across the UK with grants of up to £10,000 to help local voluntary or community organisations on behalf of its shoppers.

With over 10,000 entries to the Community Cashback campaign this year, 54 charities were chosen to receive grants to help communities that need support the most. In total £100,000 was distributed across the 54 charities.

Now running for three years, SPAR UK has committed to providing funding for a variety of charity organisations, including those that care for people in their communities and make a difference where it matters.

Making a difference

The selection of charities chosen is very varied. Below, we cover some grant receivers which help people find emergency accommodation, accessing therapy dog services, raising awareness of water safety, and looking after those at the end of their lives.

• Contact Hostel provides support and accommodation to homeless teenage girls and young women from in and around the Manchester area.
• Oliver’s Army provides assistance and therapy dogs to support children and adults with various conditions, from autism and ADHD to physical disabilities in Scotland.
• St Luke’s Hospice is a charity that cares for people approaching the end of their life in Harrow and Brent.
• River & Sea Sense serve the community by providing Water Safety Education and training sessions to schools, youth groups, and service organisations in North Wales.
• CAAP is a charity formed by a group of parents of children with additional needs, to support families to access activities during school holidays.

Ian Taylor, Retail and Brand Development Director at SPAR UK said: “Our grant scheme is aimed at supporting and giving back to the communities where our stores are located. We’ve seen first-hand how much last year’s grant winners have benefited from this scheme and know that together, we are making a real difference in communities.”

Tracy Feeley at Oliver’s Army Assistance and Therapy Dogs, one of the charities to receive a grant, added, “Receiving this grant means everything to the charity. It will enable us to increase the impact we have on the local community and the people within it. We hope to be able to train more therapy dogs to work with services such as creative therapeutic intervention for children.”

Source: SPAR UK

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About SPAR UK

The United Kingdom became a SPAR member in 1956 when SPAR International granted a licence to utilise the SPAR brand to a group of independent wholesalers. There are five regional organisations in the UK, continually building the brand’s presence. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group. SPAR in the UK comprises independently owned and licensed retailers as well as company-owned stores.