M&S Calls on Newcastle Volunteers to Spark Something Good
City set to undertake 24 projects over seven days
M&S stores in and around Newcastle are calling on customers to Spark Something Good and join around 100 M&S employees in a week of volunteering starting on the 18th July that will positively impact 24 projects at the heart of the local community.
Newcastle has been selected as the next city to host an M&S Spark Something Good event following successful campaigns in Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh earlier this year. The campaign, which launched in London last summer, aims to inspire and motivate M&S employees and customers around the country to grab a shovel, pick up a paintbrush and take action for social good – donating time to their local communities to improve lives. 24 cities in the UK and Ireland, each completing 24 projects, will take part over the course of 24 months.
For seven days, local organisations including the Newcastle Dogs and Cats shelter, The People’s Kitchen, Royal Voluntary Service, the Linskill & North Tyneside Community Development Trust and Ridgeway Primary Academy in South Shields, will benefit from a day that will see volunteers donate their time to transform the local area and support the work of many organisations’ hard working employees. M&S is calling on the public to help it give back to those who give so much to the area.
A beach clean in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society will take place to round off the week of activities at Whitburn Beach in South Shields on Sunday 24th July.
Registration to take part in Spark Something Good Newcastle opens today (4 July 2016). Find out more and sign-up by visiting the dedicated website, www.neighbourly.com/mandsvolunteer, developed in partnership with the social network for social good, Neighbourly.com.
Nikki McKidd, Store Manager at M&S Newcastle Northumberland Street, said: “We’re really excited to be launching this initiative in Newcastle having seen how successful it was in Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh. With every charity project we’ve done so far in-store, we’ve seen an incredibly positive and enthusiastic response from our customers and local community, so I can think of no better place to call on support for a campaign like Spark Something Good.
“With staff and community working together to volunteer at organisations that really matter locally, we know we can achieve something great. Voluntarily helping others can make a profound difference to the services so many people rely on, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Spark Something Good is part of M&S’s ground-breaking eco and ethical programme which supports local causes close to the hearts of its customers and colleagues. It was developed following extensive research and dialogue which revealed that getting involved in community projects enhanced people’s lives. M&S aims to spark Newcastle residents into action by showing just what can be achieved when people come together united by a common goal.
Volunteers can also sign up for Spark Something Good Newcastle, by calling 0117 915 1279.
