Macmillan Cancer Support has today announced a brand new partnership with the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer, Home Retail Group, owner of Argos, Homebase and Habitat. The partnership will engage Home Retail Group colleagues and customers across the UK through a range of fundraising activities and events aiming to raise a total of £3m for Macmillan by March 2017.
Macmillan was selected by Home Retail Group colleagues to be its new UK charity partner following a staff vote, with the money raised in the first year of partnership funding vital hours of Macmillan nursing care. The partnership has launched today with a ‘Go Mad Go Green’ fundraising day in offices and branches of Argos, Homebase and Habitat across the country.
Further plans include support of Macmillan’s national fundraising events Night In and World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, as well as bespoke fundraising activity linked to key trading periods for the business such as the Argos Catalogue Launch. Homebase will also involve Macmillan in the launch of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden in May this year as part of the partnership.
Lynda Thomas, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support says: “We are all absolutely delighted to be launching a new partnership with Home Retail Group today. Our year one fundraising target of £1.5m could pay for over 55,500 Macmillan nursing hours, enabling us to provide a phenomenal amount of dedicated and specialised cancer care. The opportunity presented by our new partnership with Home Retail Group to raise £3m to help the 2.5m people living with cancer in the UK today is one I know will make a great deal of difference to Macmillan’s ambition which is to ensure that no one has to face cancer alone.”
Amy Whidburn, head of corporate responsibility at Home Retail Group says: “I’m thrilled that Home Retail Group colleagues have voted Macmillan Cancer Support as our charity of choice over the next two years. Cancer affects so many people so we are determined to raise a substantial amount of money to fund Macmillan nursing hours and to make a real difference to Macmillan’s ambition to ensure that no one has to face cancer alone. I look forward to getting involved and supporting the business and our 47,000 colleagues over the next two years to help us reach our ambitious target for Macmillan.”
To complement the ambitious fundraising programme, Macmillan will also utilise Home Retail Group internal and customer facing communications channels, with a particular focus on the growing number of Argos digital stores, to share vital cancer awareness messages and to signpost those in Argos, Homebase or Habitat stores to Macmillan support services.
Colleagues and stores in the Republic of Ireland will raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society.
