A fundraising cross region challenge by staff at the Dumfries Morrisons store and their helpers has boosted funds for their charity partner.
The fundraiser generated £1,374 for from donations and events for Together For Short Lives – smashing the £1,000 target.
After 19 fundraising campaigns and more than £9 million raised for the charity over recent years – more than £10,000 by the Dumfries store – the supermarket giant tasked all its UK stores with transporting the Challenge 54 Cup from one to another in a major relay throughout September, raising more funds along the way.
Myra Smith, community champion at the Dumfries Morrisons, said they received the cup from the Carlisle store and had to get it, by whatever means possible, to colleagues in the Stranraer supermarket at the other end of the region, who would then carry on the chain across Scotland.
Myra said: “Our home delivery manager, Andrew Watson, was happy to receive the Challenge 54 Cup from driver Daz Kirkpatrick from the Carlisle store, thanks to help from Covetrus, who also kickstarted the region’s fundraising target of £1,000 with a £100 donation.”
Covetrus MD Erin Sparks said: “We were incredibly proud to support the Morrisons Dumfries community champion with their participation in Challenge 54 and thrilled to help transport it and join the effort to reach the nationwide £10 million fundraising target.
“Being based in Dumfries, our involvement in such a meaningful and impactful local initiative was important to us and reflects our values of the business.”
Once in Dumfries, the cup was on show while customers and staff boosted funds through a bucket collection, fundraising table with books, knitting and dog treat bags.
Then it was off on the next leg of its journey forward after a milk tanker pulled up outside the store to collect it.
Myra said: “TP Niven were happy to take the cup on one of its longest routes of the relay – the 72 miles to Morrisons in Stranraer.
“The milk tanker holds 28,400 litres of milk which will probably be back at the store some day as cheese or milk.”
A spokesperson for TP Niven said: “We were more than happy to help transport the cup across the region on one of the longest stages of the challenge.”
“Thank you also to our staff and our customers who have donated and helped us smash our £1,000 target.”