Having nominated St. Rocco’s to be their charity of the year staff at M&S in Stockton Heath decided that they could do more than offer to support the charity within their store.

So they got involved through the M&S ‘Making Every Moment Special in the Community’ initiative which motivates and inspires M&S employees to donate their time, not only their money, to their local communities.

They wanted to help St. Rocco’s with a practical project and so set to work in our gardens at the to create a lovely area for patients and families to enjoy.

The team were undeterred by the horrendously unseasonal weather in June and worked hard in the wind and rain to prepare the ground and plant all the flora and fauna.

Having submitted the photos of their project and how it progressed, the team were announced as Regional Winners in ‘The Pride of M&S Awards 2017’. Last Friday Sacha Berendji, Retail Director for M&S nationally, along with Food Finance Director Majda Rainer and Regional Manager Pete Swallow, visited St. Rocco’s. As part of their tour of stores in the region they wanted to see first-hand the work completed by the Stockton Heath team and to find out why they had chosen to support St. Rocco’s.

Rachel Ingham, Community Fundraiser for St. Rocco’s said,

“As a charitable organisation, we rely on the generosity of our local community in order to be able to continue to care for those in the Warrington area who need us at such a difficult time in their lives. That generosity often extends beyond financial help to volunteering for us and making a difference in all sorts of ways. Staff from M&S Stockton Heath continue to be a fantastic support to us and we’re delighted that their efforts have been recognised through this award.”

Their support continues through December with bag packs taking place at M&S Stockton Heath on 2^nd, 8^th, 9^th and 15^th December.

Pictured: Diane Gray, Lesa Hulme both M&S Stockton Heath, Zac Clements, St. Rocco's Trustee, Sacha Berendji, Retail Director M&S, Majda Rainer, Food Finance Director M&S, Louise Rowlands, Section Manager Stockton Heath M&S, Louise McLoughlin, Stockton Heath M&S, Rachel Ingman, Community Fundraiser, St. Rocco's