M&S staff and customers raise £40k for Parkinson's

FIFTY-FIVE M&S stores across Scotland have raised £40,000 in one week for Parkinson's UK, who support 11,000 Scots affected by the condition every year.

M&S staff pedal for Parkinson's. Picture: Supplied

M&S colleagues have taken part in various in-store activities across the country, from static bike challenges to bag packing, generating funds and helping to raise awareness of the vital work the charity undertakes.

In addition to the ongoing fundraising efforts, David Bates, M&S Head of Region Scotland Central and West, along with 12 members of the M&S team, took part in the 34-mile Pedal for Parkinson event in Stirling on Sunday in an effort to further boost the amount raised.

David Bates said: “To raise such a fantastic amount of money in a short space of time is a huge achievement. Parkinson’s is a condition that touches so many of us and so by partnering with the charity, even just for one week, to raise funds and awareness of how it helps people is something we are very proud of. I would like to thank and congratulate each of the stores and those who helped to bring this together for their hard work, and give a special mention to our customers for their continued generosity.”

Parkinson’s UK relies on community fundraising and donations to continue its work. The charity runs vital research projects to find new and better treatments with the aim of one day finding a cure, and provides support and information for people living with the condition and their families. The money raised could fund 2,000 hours of care from a specialist Parkinson’s nurse, 160 days of research or 2,860 calls to helpline advisers.

Denise McNiven, Scotland & Northern Ireland Fundraising Manager at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We are thrilled to have had an opportunity to partner with M&S in Scotland and are delighted with the amount raised. As a charity we hoped our four UK-wide Pedal for Parkinson’s events would raise £100,000 so this fantastic effort by M&S employees and customers goes a long way towards our target and will make a huge difference to our work in supporting those affected by Parkinson’s.”

Parkinson’s is a degenerative neurological condition, for which there currently is no cure. The main symptoms of the condition are tremor, slowness of movement and rigidity.

Every hour, someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson’s. It affects 11,000 people in Scotland - around one in 500 of the population.

Parkinson’s UK is the UK’s leading charity supporting those with the condition. Its mission is to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by the condition through cutting edge research, information, support and campaigning.