Earlier this month, The Co-operative Bank held a Stay Active fundraising day across its branches and offices to raise vital funds for the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.
Hundreds of staff across the UK completed a range of challenges and activities in the lead up to and on the day of the fundraising event. Challenges included a virtual walk between Manchester and London, a landmarks walk around Leicester, a one hour steps challenge and a creative outdoor photography activity. Two Bank colleagues, Andrew Stavordale and Elliot Woodcock, took part in the Great Manchester 10k on behalf of the charity.
The Co-operative Bank has been a partner of Centrepoint for over four years – encouraging customer donations and supporting colleague fundraising efforts. To date, the Bank and its customers have raised over £1.7 million for Centrepoint. Their Stay Active initiative has raised £4,427 so far, with more donations still to come.
Funds raised from the Stay Active event will help towards maintaining the crucial services the charity provides, including the Helpline, which offers local support for young people experiencing homelessness. According to Centrepoint stats, calls to its Helpline have increased by a third since March 2020, with a rising number of young people sleeping rough at the time of their call.
Darrell Evans, Managing Director of the Retail Bank at The Co-operative Bank commented: “We’ve been a proud partner of Centrepoint for a number of years and are always looking for new ways we can support the charity.
“The Stay Active events were a huge success and our colleagues were keen to get together again to raise money for Centrepoint in a variety of fun, engaging ways. We’d like to thank the colleagues that took part, and we hope that funds raised will help Centrepoint in getting more homeless young people off the streets.”
Commenting on the success of the community day, Julie Milnes, Director of Fundraising at Centrepoint, said: “As the weather gets colder, support from our corporate partners and donors becomes more crucial than ever.
“We’re really impressed with the amazing energy staff brought to the activities they did. We couldn’t do the work we do without key partners like The Co-operative Bank and would like to say thank you to every colleague who took part.”
If you’d like to donate The Co-operative Bank’s Stay Active fundraiser, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/
