Northern Ireland’s leading convenience brand Centra has today launched a region-wide Community Fund to the value of £5,000 as part of its latest marketing campaign.

Community groups are encouraged to apply for Centra’s ‘Choices’ fund, with five individual pots of £1,000 available. Applications are open from now and will remain open until mid-August.

Open to charities, community organisations and not for profits, the Fund coincides with the launch of Centra’s Choices campaign, which celebrates the choices that define us, focusing on four behaviours that promote happiness in ourselves and others, Positivity, Kindness, Respect and Attitude.

Applicants for the community fund grants must demonstrate how their projects will benefit the wider community and how it aligns with one of the four behaviours celebrated in the campaign.

Desi Derby, Marketing Director at Centra, commented on the launch of the campaign,

“Centra’s ‘Choices’ campaign is a bold statement about where we are as a brand and how we fit into the everyday lives of consumers. The choices we make define us and at Centra, we choose community, so we are excited to launch our £5,000 fund to give back to the neighbourhoods in which we operate and show support for community at a grassroots level. We encourage community groups, charities and not for profits from across Northern Ireland to apply on behalf of the projects they’re currently undertaking and could use some help with.”

Centra has called on the support of local celebrities and influencers including RuPaul’s Drag Race Vs the World winner, Blu Hydrangea; TikTok sensation and disability activist, India Sasha and Instagram fashion blogger and cancer survivor, Aisling Gallagher (Galsgoss) to bring the campaign to life on social media. Centra is also looking forward to revealing a partnership with a fourth social media influencer later this month.

They’ll join Centra ambassador Pete Snodden in question and answer sessions broadcast on Instagram Live during the month of May discussing how the choices they have made have led to where they are now.

Desi continued,

“The celebrities and influencers we have on board for our social media campaign truly embody our message, they have each made life defining choices and we’re thrilled that they are sharing their stories with us and members of the public.

“It’s an exciting time for Centra and as we move forward, we will remain at the heart of our communities and support our customers as they navigate their way through their everyday choices.”

Over the past month, Musgrave NI, its brands, retail partners, staff and shoppers have donated over £105,000 to UNICEF Ireland to support children and families impacted by the war in Ukraine.

Shoppers in SuperValu, Centra, Mace and Musgrave MarketPlace have donated £37,000 by tapping to donate £2 at the till and contributing to bucket collections in store. As well as the £37,000 raised in store by customers, Musgrave NI staff have also donated £1,200 to UNICEF Ireland through a Just Giving page. 100 percent of the funds donated will go directly to UNICEF Ireland to deliver critical support and services to children affected by the war in Ukraine.

UNICEF Ireland has worked in Ukraine for the past eight years to provide safety, stability, and protection to children living there. In recent weeks, the charity has had to scale up its operations in response to the war in Ukraine.

These funds raised by Musgrave NI customers and staff will be used to help UNICEF to continue its life-saving work, including delivering emergency supplies such as medical kits, bottled water, maternity kits, family hygiene kits, dignity kits, nappies, disinfectants, blankets and winter clothes.

In addition to the funds raised by Musgrave NI retail partners, staff and shoppers, Musgrave Group has donated over £200,000 to two charities who are actively supporting people on the ground in Ukraine: UNICEF and the Red Cross.

Trevor Magill, managing director of Musgrave NI, said:

“The news coming from Ukraine in recent weeks has been deeply distressing, and we hope that the funds raised by Musgrave NI will bring some comfort to the children affected by this terrible war. I would like to thank our retailers, colleagues and customers for their generosity. We know that this money is already being used by UNICEF to help Ukrainian children and their families. We hope that there will be soon be a peaceful resolution to this war. In the meantime, our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and especially our Ukrainian colleagues, family and friends.”

UNICEF Ireland, Executive Director Peter Power said:

“The horrific war in Ukraine continues to pose an immediate and growing threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children. UNICEF is doing everything possible to reach all those in need. A special thanks to shoppers at SuperValu, Centra and Mace Northern Ireland for showing such solidarity with children and families in Ukraine. Your generous support ensures UNICEF can reach more people in Ukraine with critical supplies and services. I also want to thank Noel Keeley, and the whole team at Musgrave, for making this incredible fundraiser happen, and for bringing it into so many stores across Ireland. Everyone’s efforts will make a life-saving difference to the children of Ukraine.”

Across the island of Ireland, Musgrave Group, together with its retail partners, colleagues, and shoppers, has donated over £835,000 worth of funds and goods to support the Ukrainian people.

Run Together entire series returns aiming to raise £25,000 for Action Cancer

Local convenience retailer Centra is encouraging people across Northern Ireland to pull on their trainers and get set to run, as it welcomes back the entire Run Together series for 2022.

Run Together, part of the retailer’s Live Well initiative, is designed to encourage people of all ages and abilities to adopt an active lifestyle by running, jogging or walking, through a series of free 5k runs in towns and cities across the country – Enniskillen, Bangor, Derry~Londonderry, Armagh and Belfast – between May and October, while raising vital funds for its charity partner Action Cancer. For those who seek a challenge, a 10k race will also take place at Ormeau Park in Belfast.

This is the first time since 2019 that all five events will once again take place, following the pandemic restrictions of the last two years, and Centra is looking forward to welcoming runners of all abilities to join them.

Last October saw 1,000 people participate in the only Run Together event of 2021 in Belfast, which raised close to £18,000 for Action Cancer.  This year, the retailer aims to smash that target and raise £25,000 for the charity across the series of events.

As in previous years, the regional 5K events are completely free to enter, with participants encouraged to make a donation to Action Cancer in lieu of an entry fee. For the finale at Ormeau Park, a small entry fee will apply to both the 5K and 10K races, with 100% of the fee donated to Action Cancer.

Everyone that takes part will receive a free T-shirt, bespoke Centra Run Together medal, a free lunch and tasty samples courtesy of our Live Well sponsors including Deep RiverRock. There will also be entertainment for all the family on the day.

Centra Run Together events will take place in five locations throughout 2022:

• Lakeland Forum, Enniskillen 5K – Sunday 22 May, 10am
• Ward Park, Bangor 5K – Sunday 19 June, 10am
• Queen’s Quay, Derry~Londonderry 5K – Wednesday 22 June, 7pm
• Palace Demesne, Armagh 5K – Sunday 11 September, 10am
• Ormeau Park, Belfast 5K & 10K – Sunday 16 October, 10am

Commenting on the launch, Jennifer Morton, Centra brand manager, said: “We are thrilled to be able to welcome back the entire Centra Run Together series for 2022. It’s clear from the success of our Belfast event last October just how popular Run Together has become and how much people have missed taking part in such activities. There was a real feeling of community spirit surrounding the run and we look forward to the same again this year.

“Run Together is part of Centra’s Live Well initiative and we want to encourage as many people as possible to get up and get active. Whether new to running, or more experienced, it offers the perfect opportunity for people of all abilities to participate in achievable 5k routes or the more challenging 10k run. We are also delighted that Deep River Rock is once again our title sponsor and with their help, we look forward to another successful series and to raising much needed funds for Action Cancer.”

Niall Rush, Customer Marketing Manager from Deep RiverRock said: “On behalf of Deep RiverRock, a much loved locally sourced water from Northern Ireland, we are delighted to see the Run Together series back and to be involved as sponsors once again.

“We look forward to each of the events and supporting people of all abilities to join together and have fun while getting active.”

For further information and details of how to register visit www.centra.co.uk or find out more on the Centra Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CentraNI.

Musgrave NI today announces the launch of a major fundraising campaign to support people impacted by the crisis in Ukraine.

From tomorrow (Thursday, March 3rd), shoppers in SuperValu and Centra will be able to donate £2 in Northern Ireland via a simple “Tap to Donate” mechanism at the till. In the coming days, shoppers in Musgrave MarketPlace and Mace will also be able to donate.

100 per cent of the funds donated will go directly to help support the immediate humanitarian response.

As part of the campaign, Musgrave Group will donate over £200,000 to two charities who are actively supporting people on the ground in Ukraine: UNICEF and the Irish Red Cross.

Trevor Magill, managing director of Musgrave NI, said: “In recent days, our thoughts have been with all Ukrainian people and our colleagues and friends from Ukraine. Our main concern is for the safety of people in the region, and Musgrave NI, together with our retail partners, colleagues, and customers, want to do what we can to help. UNICEF told us that donating money is the fastest and most effective way to help those affected by this crisis at this time. For this reason, Musgrave is contributing £200,000 to UNICEF and the Irish Red Cross. We are also encouraging our customers in Northern Ireland to donate across our retail and wholesale brands to UNICEF, who are delivering life-saving supplies to children trapped in this conflict.”

Commenting on the appeal, UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power said: “The children of Ukraine need help now. Through this action by Musgrave and their customers, UNICEF will be able to protect more children living in conflict and scale up our life-saving programmes for children.”

Centra and SuperValu, part of the Musgrave Group, have today launched their sustainability campaigns with the announcement that the retail brands will plant 50,000 trees in Northern Ireland by 2032.

The initiative will see the convenience retailers partner with Trees on the Land – a charity and not-for-profit project from the Green Economy Foundation – to sponsor the planting of 5,000 native trees in 13 locations across Northern Ireland this year, and a further 5,000 in 2023.

To further support the initiative, colleagues from SuperValu and Centra stores will be pulling on their wellies and volunteering to help plant the trees (Covid-19 permitting).

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for SuperValu and Centra in Northern Ireland, said:

“This is a very exciting community initiative for us, and we are thrilled to partner with Trees on the Land. We know from talking to our customers that environmental issues are important to them and at SuperValu and Centra, we care about and believe in sustainability, and have already made significant changes to become a more sustainable business.

“We are committed to making a positive impact in the communities in which we operate and being able to facilitate the planting of this number of native trees will have many positive long-term effects, including absorbing carbon dioxide, improving air quality, improving soils and enhancing biodiversity.”

Imogen Rabone, Project Co-ordinator and Founder of Trees on the Land, added:

“We are delighted to partner with SuperValu and Centra for our tree planting scheme. Thanks to their support we can enable community groups, schools, smallholders, and farmers to plant 10,000 native trees across Northern Ireland over the next two years. These trees will create habitat for wildlife, soak up carbon and provide many other useful ecosystem services for many generations to come.”

A commitment to planting 50,000 trees is one in a list of steps being taken by SuperValu and Centra to make their stores and communities more sustainable, and each month, the brands will spotlight the tangible steps they are taking to become more sustainable, while encouraging shoppers to play their part.

“We all have a responsibility to care for the environment and we believe small changes can make a big impact. Together with our customers, we can build a more sustainable future by helping to look after the planet we all share,” Desi said.

2020 saw the entire Run Together series cancelled due to the pandemic but now with restrictions lifting, the flagship event at Ormeau Park will go ahead this Autumn. A small entry fee will apply to both the 5K and 10K races, with full proceeds being donated to Action Cancer – Centra’s longstanding charity partner.

Commenting on the launch, Jennifer Morton, Centra Brand Manager, said:

“We are delighted to be able to bring Centra Run Together back to Ormeau Park this October.  As always, our aim is to encourage as many people to get up, get active and embrace the community spirit of the event, whether they are a frequent runner or a first timer. With both a 5K and 10K race on offer – Run Together has got you covered.”   

Centra Run Together encourages people to get active by running, jogging or walking with a friend, the kids, or even the family dog, whilst raising vital funds for Action Cancer.

Everyone that takes part will receive a free T-shirt, bespoke Centra Run Together medal, a free lunch and tasty samples courtesy of Deep RiverRock, Müller, Alpro, Coleraine, Kingsmill and Fulfil. On the day, there will also be entertainment for all the family.

For further information and details of how to register visit www.centra.co.uk/runtogether or the Centra Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CentraNI