A local fundraising drive for Action Cancer, supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Leading food convenience retailers Centra and SuperValu, are launching a new initiative to support their long-term charity partner Action Cancer, by encouraging shoppers to help sponsor a mammogram.

Each Centra and SuperValu store is aiming to raise at least £120, which is how much it costs Action Cancer to provide one free mammogram to women in Northern Ireland. Last year, the service provided 1,950 breast screenings to women aged 40-49 and over 70 years – outside of NHS screening age.

From Monday 10th to Friday 14^th October, staff at Centra and SuperValu stores across Northern Ireland will be armed with buckets collecting donations to raise funds for this life-saving service. Customers will also be able to donate at the tills using cash or card.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for Centra and SuperValu, said,

“We have a long-standing partnership with Action Cancer and our amazing retailers, colleagues and customers have raised £3.5m to date to keep the Big Bus on the road. We’re proud to launch this new initiative and would encourage our customers to support this worthwhile cause in our stores and help save the life of a mum, granny, daughter, aunt, wife or friend.

“Our marketing campaign features 16 local women who have benefited from Action Cancer breast screening service, a testament to the importance of this vital service and the need for continued fundraising.”

Corporate Fundraising Manager for Action Cancer, Lucy McCusker, added:

“We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Centra and SuperValu with the launch of this new initiative. Our breast screening service detects approximately six cancers in every 1,000 women screened, and with the support of our partners Centra and SuperValu, we can continue to provide these life-saving screenings. Each mammogram, while free to the client, costs Action Cancer £120, so every penny raised could help save the life of a woman close to you.”

Bridie Treanor from Roslea in County Fermanagh, and a mum to six children and granny to four grandchildren, attended Action Cancer’s Big Bus for a breast screening when it visited SuperValu Newtownbutler in 2019. As Bridie was outside the age bracket for NHS screening, it was this appointment that detected her cancer. Bridie underwent successful surgery and treatment and is now cancer free.

Speaking today, Bridie said:

“I am so thankful to Action Cancer’s Big Bus for saving my life and I can look forward to celebrating future birthdays and watching my family grow up. I never would have travelled all the way up to Belfast to attend a routine screening so I’m grateful that women like me can access this vital service in their own communities. Please support this wonderful charity in whatever way you can.”

Centra to donate 50p from every cup of Frank and Honest Coffee sold, to charity partners.

Staff from Centra, SuperValu and MACE stores across Northern Ireland are encouraging customers to ‘Espresso they care’ and celebrate International Coffee Day (Saturday, 1 October) at their local store while helping to raise much needed funds for local charities Action Cancer and Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke.

From Thursday, 29 September to Saturday, 1 October, each purchase of a Frank and Honest coffee in participating Centra, SuperValu and MACE stores, will see 50p going straight to the charities to help them continue to provide vital community services.

Last year the initiative raised an incredible £22,000 and this year the brands are hoping to smash that total and raise even more funds, which will help keep Action Cancer’s mobile clinic, The Big Bus, on the road and enable NI Chest Heart & Stroke to continue to deliver care services and health promotion programmes to thousands of people living with, or at risk of developing chest, heart, and stroke conditions.

Discussing the charity fundraising drive, Desi Derby, Marketing Director at Musgrave NI said:

“Our charity partners make a real difference to the lives of people across Northern Ireland, and we are delighted to launch this coffee fundraising initiative, which was a resounding success last year. We are sure that with the help and support of our customers purchasing a Frank and Honest coffee in their local store that we will once again raise much needed funds for Action Cancer and Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.”

Centra and SuperValu have been partnering with Action Cancer since 2001 and to date have raised £3.5 million for the charity.

Thanking Centra and SuperValu and their customers for their ongoing support Gareth Kirk, CEO of Action Cancer said:

“The support provided by the customers and staff of Centra and SuperValu for Action Cancer is truly magnificent.  For over 21 years the income raised for Action Cancer has ensured the former and current BIG BUS have been able to deliver their unique onboard lifesaving breast screening service and health checks to local communities throughout Northern Ireland.  Without the commitment and support of Centra and SuperValu this would simply not have happened, for many women their breast cancers wouldn’t have been detected early and for some the outcome would have been very different.

“Please support this wonderful initiative by purchasing a Frank and Honest coffee and in doing so you will not only enjoy lovely coffee but will also be helping Action Cancer to save the lives of local people.”

MACE has enjoyed a partnership with Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke since 2016 and has so far raised over £245,000 for the charity.

Declan Cunnane, CEO of NI Chest Heart & Stroke added:

“We deliver vital care and prevention services across Northern Ireland, as well as carrying out extensive research into how to prevent chest, heart and stroke illnesses. Last year we supported 16,936 people and organisations, however, almost 90% of our services are funded by public donations. We very much appreciate the support of Mace customers whose generosity will enable us to help more local people living with these conditions and their families.”

Starting at £2.65 for a Frank and Honest coffee, 50p from the sale of each coffee will be donated to the charities over the three-day period.

£6,300 worth of Vouchers to be won in Centra’s ‘Shop For Free’ competition this Autumn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

126 customers set to win a shop for free across Centra stores

Centra has launched its ‘Shop for Free’ campaign which will see the convenience food retailer give away more than £6,000 worth of vouchers in a daily draw across its stores for customers to get their shop for free.

As shoppers continue to deal with the increased cost of living, Centra is giving back to communities with prizes of £50 gift cards for three lucky winners every day between 5th September to 16th October. Shoppers are invited to scan a QR code in store and fill in their details online to enter the prize draw.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for Centra NI said,

“This latest initiative is in addition to our plan to support shoppers at this difficult time.  We’re investing in over 300 special offers every week across our stores, including many everyday essentials. We also have over 300 own-brand products across Centra which are up to 33% cheaper than the better-known brands and are committed to delivering the best value for our customers across our entire range.

“Customers across the region are feeling the squeeze on their household finances from the increased cost of living, so we wanted to give back to the communities in which we operate. We’ve committed over £6,000 to Centra shoppers offering them a chance to win £50 towards their weekly shop to top up on essentials and to treat themselves when times are tough. With three prizes to be won per day, a total of 126 Centra customers across Northern Ireland will benefit from the competition.” 

The “shop for free” competition, which is sponsored by Lucozade, Mi Wadi and Walkers, will run for 6 weeks from 5th September to 16th October with three winners chosen at random each day across Centra.

Full terms and conditions can be found here.

Sustainability fund will see 12% reduction in carbon over two years as part of Musgrave’s 2040 net zero carbon target.

Musgrave NI has today announced a £2.7 million investment in its SuperValu and Centra stores across Northern Ireland as part of a new sustainability fund aimed at empowering retailers to achieve net zero carbon by 2040.

The fund, which is part of Musgrave’s island of Ireland sustainability strategy, will result in an estimated 12% carbon reduction by the company over a two-year period.

In Northern Ireland, this investment will be equal to planting more than 31,000 trees or powering 426 homes every year as it will remove over 840 tonnes of carbon.

Musgrave NI is committing £42,500 per SuperValu store and £21,250 per Centra store. Retailers can select suitable initiatives based on each store’s needs and set-up, including upgrading freezers and refrigeration units, LED lighting retrofit, solar panels, and electronic shelf edge labels (eSELs).

Musgrave’s new sustainability strategy aims to reduce its carbon emissions to reach net zero carbon by 2040, provide consumers with more sustainable shopping choices in-store and work with retailers to ensure their stores are sustainable.

Trevor Magill, Managing Director, Musgrave Northern Ireland said: “The climate crisis is the biggest threat to humanity, and we all have a responsibility to act now to protect the planet for generations to come. Musgrave is committed to leading when it comes to climate action, and this is something we’ve been really focused on in recent years. This £2.7 million sustainability fund is another step forward in supporting our retail partners to reduce their carbon emissions.

“Our SuperValu and Centra retailers are at the heart of local communities here, they’re invested in the future of those communities but also uniquely positioned to show leadership in sustainability at a local level. We look forward to working with those retailers on this fund and our other sustainability initiatives aimed at educating shoppers and encouraging our suppliers to play their part in creating a more sustainable future.”

As part of its strategy, Musgrave NI has committed to:

• Reducing or eliminating its own branding packaging where possible, and where packaging is necessary, 100% of it will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Currently over 90% of SuperValu and Centra own brand packaging in NI is recyclable, reusable or compostable.
• 100% of instore packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
• By 2025 all stores will use LED lighting only.

In January, SuperValu and Centra pledged to plant 50,000 trees in Northern Ireland by 2032. They are doing so in partnership with Trees on the Land – a charity and not-for-profit project from the Green Economy Foundation. So far, 5,000 native trees have been planted in 13 locations across Northern Ireland already this year, and a further 5,000 are due to be planted in 2023.

Further details on Musgrave’s sustainability strategy can be found at:  https://www.musgravegroup.com/sustainability

Local convenience stores SuperValu and Centra are giving primary schools across Northern Ireland the opportunity to win free Moo’d ice-cream for all pupils and staff as an end of year treat.

To enter, customers must scan the QR code at the Moo’d ice cream kiosk at their local SuperValu or Centra store and nominate the primary school they want to win. The school with the most nominations by the end of the competition will win.

Made by family-run business Ice Cream Treats, Moo’d is now available in 30 SuperValu and Centra stores in Northern Ireland.

Moo’d prioritises natural ingredients and simplicity, steering clear of vegetable and palm oils and using natural flavours as much as possible. It is made using dairy cream from over 3,100 farmers across the island of Ireland with a range that includes something for everyone.

Speaking about the competition, Julie Cherry, SuperValu and Centra Trading Director said: “We believe that the pupils deserve a treat to celebrate the end of a successful and tiring school year, so we’re excited to launch our Moo’d ice cream competition to give them just that.

“Moo’d ice cream is our exclusive ice cream brand handcrafted by a group of local experts. They offer such a wide selection of products and the most amazing flavours such as Madagascan Vanilla, Cookies and Cream and Salted Caramel. The winning schools will receive tubs of ice cream for the entire school – students, teachers and all staff. We hope the competition will lift everyone’s mood and help to kickstart the summer the right way!”

The Moo’d ice cream competition opens on Friday, 13^th May and closes on 12^th June. To enter, simply visit one of the local stores with a Moo’d Kiosk, scan the QR code at the kiosk and nominate your local primary school. Nominations made in SuperValu and Centra stores will be counted separately, so there will be one winning school for SuperValu and another for Centra. Go on, give it a whirl!

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.