Tesco in Whiteley to hold weekend of fundraising for Armed Forces veterans in need of support

A weekend of fun and entertainment for Help for Heroes will be on offer for 17-18 June, including the award-winning Busketeers Choir, who will collecting donations on the Sunday towards their mission to raise £1million for various charities.

To rally customers throughout the weekend the store's community champion, Caroline Mannell, will be donning a special Naval Bear outfit for the fundraising fun.

There will also be an information stand where shoppers can learn more about the Help for Heroes' aims to support to wounded veterans and their families who’ve been impacted by injury or illness sustained while serving their country in the British Armed Forces.

Caroline said: "Help for Heroes relies on the generosity of the public for the majority of its funding and they saw a significant loss to their income from collections as a result of the pandemic.

"There's also been an increase in those coming forward for mental health support, and an increase in referrals to the charity’s veterans’ clinical services.

"So this is a vital time for us to raise funds and awareness about the urgent support needed for veterans. We've hosted fundraising for Help for Heroes before and our customers were incredibly generous in supporting what is a fantastic charity.” The Whiteley Superstore’s fundraising is part of Tesco’s long-standing support of military charities, with Tesco being a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. It employs more former military personnel than any other business in the UK, and Tesco’s founder Sir Jack Cohen established the business with his WWI demob money. Further information about Help for Heroes is available at www.helpforheroes.org.uk.