Supermarket staff raise cash for football charity

Sainsbury's staff at West Hove have been raising cash for Albion in the Community

The supermarket made Albion in the Community (AITC) its charity of the year and staff have taken part in a range of fundraising events, including the Warrior Run – a mud-drenched obstacle course set in the Sussex countryside that more than 20 Sainsbury’s colleagues completed.

Staff have also allowed AITC to use the store as a platform to fundraise at the Old Shoreham Road branch, while five colleagues signed-up to take part in the Brighton Half Marathon.

Their overall goal is to raise £10,000 for AITC.

AITC is the official charity of Brighton and Hove Albion FC, and is now the largest provider of disability football opportunities in the area. It also works with more than 100 local schools, runs a range of health programmes and provides free football sessions in some of the most-deprived communities in Sussex.

Staff recently visited AITC at the American Express Community Stadium to learn more about the charity’s work, and Richard Hay, manager of the store, was confident he and his colleagues would hit their £10,000 target.

He said: “Having Albion in the Community as our local charity partner has brought everyone together and there is a real team spirit within the store.

“All our staff are enjoying taking part in fundraising events and I am incredibly proud of how my colleagues have worked hard to raise so much money for the charity – not least those who ran the Brighton Half Marathon and raised more than £1,000 in sponsorship.”

Steph Punfield, AITC’s community fundraising executive, said: “As a charity we rely heavily on the generosity of our fundraisers and to have so many colleagues from Sainsbury’s West Hove working together to raise money for us is absolutely fantastic. It is also brilliant to see how supportive customers at the store have been.

“It costs the charity around £5,000 a year to run one of our many weekly football sessions for people with a disability, so the money the store is raising will help significantly.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone at Sainsbury’s West Hove for their continued support.”