Britannia International and The Co-operative food stores joined forces at the Southern Show and Royal Manx Show, raising a remarkable ?820 for their chosen charity of the year, the Special Care Baby Unit.
 
Sarah Jarvis from the marketing team at Britannia International comments: “Together with our colleagues at The Co-operative, we offered hot drinks and samples of some delicious Co-op cakes, asking for charity donations in exchange.  Visitors could also enter a Fairtrade hamper raffle and a prize draw to win travel vouchers.  Raising ?820 certainly surpassed our expectations - we are so grateful for the generosity of the Manx public.”
 
Operations Manager at The Co-operative, Andrew Corrie, adds: “It was good to share the marquee with Britannia International, as it publicised that both organisations are part of the wider Co-operative Group.  We were kept very busy at both of the shows, but really enjoyed meeting customers old and new.  Lots of people signed up for Co-op membership, too, which is great!”
 
Staff from both companies recently raised further funds for the SCBU, with a collection outside The Gaiety Theatre raising a magnificent ?475 from the audience watching Evita, and Britannia International’s Compliance Manager, Mark Avery, raising ?250 by taking part in the Parish Walk. 
 
Sarah Jarvis remarks: “By the end of 2012, we hope to have raised at least ?8,000 for the SCBU.  We have updated the Parents’ Room, providing a new sofabed, a TV, DVD player, some games and an Xbox to entertain the older siblings of the babies.  The next phase will be to provide some comfortable chairs for mums to nurse their babies and a contribution towards new life-saving equipment.  I visit the unit often, and the dedication of the staff to the health and well-being of the babies and their families is very touching.  We are delighted to be able to provide tangible help in this way.”