The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare branches in Shaftesbury and Gillingham hosted a hand car wash with tea and cake to raise over £235 for the disabled children’s charity, Whizz-Kidz.
The funeral home colleagues and volunteers scrubbed cars, campervans and even a tractor outside the Shaftesbury funeral home on Salisbury Road, whilst the owners waited in the comfort of the branch with hot tea and fresh, homemade cakes.
Suzanne Smith, Funeral Co-ordinator for The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare in Shaftesbury said: “Thankfully it didn’t rain on the day, although it was quite chilly and we had to wash a fair amount of cars to warm up! Throughout the afternoon we managed to clean about 25 vehicles, which included cars, Land Rovers, a campervan and even a tractor. We were thrilled to raise over £200 for Whizz-Kidz, it really is a fantastic charity which makes a difference to so many children’s lives across the south coast. This proved to be such a fun community event and the whole team worked so well together, great fun really was had by all.”
Shaftesbury and Gillingham’s carwash formed part of The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare’s service-wide fundraiser hoping to conclude their charity partnership with Whizz-Kidz, with a bang, adding a cash boost to the £335,000 already raised by The Southern Co-operative.
The fundraiser, ‘Release the Piece’, involves all 59 branches and services from The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare receiving one section of a giant jigsaw puzzle, to ‘Release the Piece’ of the puzzle and to help it form the overall jigsaw image, each branch and service must host a fundraiser in aid of the disabled children’s charity, Whizz-Kidz.
Amanda Wilkinson, Director of Fundraising for Whizz-Kidz said: “My huge thanks to the colleagues of The Southern Co-operative Funeralcare for their support for Whizz-Kidz. We’re delighted that so many colleagues are getting involved in the ‘Release the Piece’ fundraising challenge, aiming to help the partnership raise an additional £5,000. This fantastic sum is enough to enable us to provide a disabled child with a life-changing powered wheelchair, giving them the freedom and independence they need to enjoy a fun, active childhood.”
Throughout March and April, all 59 branches and services, including their funeral homes, florist, crematorium, masonry and natural burial ground, will be holding local fundraisers, ranging from a colleague car wash with cake, a Race Night, samba band busking and book sales. Once each branch has held its fundraiser, the jigsaw puzzle will be put together by an ambassador from Whizz-Kidz who will announce the total raised for the charity.
Amanda continued: “The right wheelchair is just the start, The Southern Co-operative is also raising funds to help us deliver our skills training, youth groups, residential camps, and work skills programmes, helping young disabled people gain the skills and opportunities they need to reach their true potential.”