A GREAT start to Learning Disability Week as The Co-operative Group is teaming up with Cadbury Twirl to raise £50,000 for ENABLE Scotland, and sister charity, Mencap.
The special Twirls with the fundraising message will be available in more than 3,900 Co-operative food stores across the UK from Wednesday 22 June – Tuesday 2 August 2011 inclusive.
Three pence from each Twirl bar sold at Co-operative Food stores will be donated to ENABLE Scotland and Mencap, with a target of £50,000.
Money raised through the Charity of the Year partnership will allow ENABLE Scotland and Mencap to launch a ground-breaking programme called Inspire Me.
Inspire Me will work with thousands of young people with a learning disability aged 16 – 25, their parents and carers, and local communities, to overcome the exclusion and prejudice that many face in their lives.
The project will do this by providing activities and training, together with volunteering and employment opportunities.
In June (2011), The Co-operative Group hit the £2 million milestone in fundraising for ENABLE Scotland and Mencap.
The Co-operative is aiming to beat its previous Charity of the Year fundraising total which saw it raise £3.7million for RNID.
Last year, The Co-operative Food alone sold over five million bars of Cadbury Twirl.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Learning disability charity Mencap and sister charity, ENABLE Scotland, are The Co-operative Group Charity of the year for 2011.
The money raised through the partnership will fund a ground-breaking Mencap project called Inspire Me which will create opportunities and provide support for 20,000 young people with a learning disability aged 16-25 across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland over a three-year period.
The project will help young people with a learning disability to be equal citizens, build ambitions for the future and learn the skills they need to get started on their chosen path
ENABLE Scotland
ENABLEScotland is one of the country’s leading charities for children and adults who have learning disabilities.
We are a member-led organisation. Local ENABLE branches are made up of volunteers, mostly people with learning disabilities and their families and carers
Learning disability affects around 1 in 50 people. The most well known form is Down’s syndrome, although there are many others. There is no cure for learning disability.
ENABLE Scotland was formed in 1954 by a group of families whose lives were affected by learning disability.
We campaign for people who have learning disabilities to live full and independent lives.
We provide services to allow people to live work and take part in their communities.
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group is the UK’s largest mutual business, owned not by private shareholders but by almost six million consumers.
It is recognised as the UK’s fifth-biggest food retailer, the leading convenience store operator and a major financial services provider, operating both The Co-operative Bank and The Co-operative Insurance.
Among its other businesses are the number one funeral services provider and Britain’s largest farming operation. As well as having clear financial and operational objectives, the Group has also set out its social and sustainability goals in its groundbreaking Ethical Plan, which specifies almost 50 commitments in these areas.
The Group operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets, employs more than 110,000 people and has an annual turnover of £13.7bn.
Further information is available at www.co-operative.coop
About Mencap
There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability and their families and carers by fighting to change laws and improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
We are also one of the largest providers of services, information and advice for people with a learning disability across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
People with a learning disability and their carers can find out more about our services by calling Mencap Direct on 0300 333 111 or by visiting www.mencap.org.uk.
MEDIA RELEASE posted by ENABLE Scotland. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Nikki Slowey
Phone: 07921657185
Email: nikki.slowey@enable.org.uk
