Heroic efforts for Debenhams charity

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Help For Heroes - Darren Carew, Ryan Davies and Brendan Prudom (Band of Brothers) with Hero the Bear and James Loxdale manager at Debenhams Swansea.

 

Swansea’s biggest store has had a fantastic first week as they attempt to match last year’s incredible achievement for the armed forces charity Help for Heroes.

Debenhams in the city’s busy Quadrant Shopping Centre has already raised over £2,100 for the worthy cause at the start of a month-long series of activities during March.

That includes a large helping of cash from the Debenhams restaurant where their Heroes Breakfasts are seeing them donate 50p for every 10-item breakfast sold.

Last year they rattled up over £10,000 which was almost twice what any other Debenhams store in the UK managed and after an opening seven days they are already well out in front of their nearest rival.

Store Trainer Tina Hardwicke, whose son is in the RAF, is the mastermind behind the Help for Heroes campaign at the Quadrant Centre and she said: “We are a bit competitive but the important thing is that it’s all in a good cause.

“We’ve got lots of fund-raising activities planned, especially this weekend when we hope to have the Sea Cadets in collecting and to have a special Armed Forces ‘Hero Bear’ here as well.

“It has been fabulous so far and everyone has been so generous and hopefully we can smash it again this weekend and stay on top but we have lots planned for the rest of the month as well.

“We’ve got exercise bikes out in front and we’ve done a cake sale, we’re planning a fashion show and for Easter we’ve got an Easter Hunt and face-painting and we’re trying to fit in a sponsored walk as well.”

All the Debenhams stores in the country raise money for Help for Heroes during March and they also support Children In Need and Breast Cancer Now during the year and last year had a Triple Crown on national success.

Debenhams Store Manager James Loxdale said: “That’s amazing and we are very proud of this achievement and extremely grateful for our customers’ generosity towards this very important charity.

“There are over 170 stores in the UK and to be the leading fund-raiser is a huge achievement.

“This is one of our three major fund-raising efforts during the year, the others are Children In Need in July and August and Breast Cancer in October, and the people of Swansea are always incredibly generous.”

Lisa Hartley, Manager of the Quadrant Shopping Centre, said: “What a start Debenhams have made to their campaign – it’s a tremendous effort by the staff at Debenhams and by the people of Swansea.

“A fantastic amount of charity work is done by people here in the Quadrant Centre and our customers are always so generous in their support.”