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Charity & Community Work
At Roys, we consider ourselves a part of the community around all of our stores. We engage with the local area & do all we can to help wherever possible. After all, it's our customers & staff that have kept us going for 125 years so it is our privilege to give something back to the communities. We are inundated with requests from clubs, groups, charities, schools and many others asking for raffle prizes and products for events, last year we managed to help 143 charities & good causes.
Throughout 2020 in total we raised over £33,000 through 5p carrier bag sales, donations from the Making a Difference Locally Fund (MADL), raffle and product donations and raising money in other ways such as wearing fancy dress on special days.
Highlights of our charity work in 2020
How we've been helping good causes recently
£8,900 donated to local charities in June & July
7th August 2020
During June & July we've been very busy helping lots of local charities. Using the Making A Difference Locally funds from our stores we've been able to make donations to 17 local charities, totalling £8,900! Our Wroxham Food Hall has been able to donate £3,350, including £1000 each to Nelson's Journey and the Priscilla Bacon Hospice. Bowthorpe has made donations to 8 charities, totalling over £5000, including £1000 each to the Matthew Project, NARS & Sir Norman Lamb's Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. Plus our Magdalen St, Dereham, Thetford & Sudbury stores have all made donations too, totalling £900.
£500 donated to Wroxham & Hoveton Good Neighbour Scheme
27th May 2020
Our Wroxham Food Hall has donated £500 from it's MADL (Making A Difference Locally) fund to the Wroxham & Hoveton Good Neighbour Scheme. The money, which was raised through the sales of selected grocery products in the store, well help the scheme continue its great work in delivering food and medicines to local people that are self-isolating and do not have family or friends that are local or able to help support them.
£500 donated to Falcon Junior School Foodbank Scheme
27th May 2020
Roys Magdalen Street store in Norwich has donated £500 from it's MADL (Making A Difference Locally) fund to the Foodbank scheme at Falcon Junior School in Norwich. The money, which was raised through the sales of selected grocery products in the store, well help the foodbank provide to the most vulnerable in the area.
Over £360 donated and 72 good causes helped in January, February & March
31st March 2020
During January, February & March Roys have made over £360 worth of donations to 72 different charities & good causes. This is on top of any donations made in January to last year's store Charities of They Year from carrier bag sales. The majority of causes helped were local and most were helped via the donation of raffle prizes which will hopefully enable the charities to raise even more money.
Roys Magdalen St £1458 donation to Muscular Dystrophy UK
31st January 2020
Roys has donated £1,458 to the Muscular Dystrophy UK as part of a series of donations for the money raised by 5p carrier bag sales throughout 2019. The total raised by all stores was £19,515 and this share comes from the carrier bag sales from our Norwich Magdalen Street store.
Roys North Walsham £438 donation to SERV Norfolk Blood Bikes
29th January 2020
Roys has donated £438.36 to the SERV Norfolk Blood Bikes as part of a series of donations for the money raised by 5p carrier bag sales throughout 2019. The total raised by all stores was £19,515 and this share comes from the carrier bag sales from our North Walsham store.
Roys Thetford £1044 donation to ASD Helping Hands
27th January 2020
Roys has donated £1,044.14 to the ASD Helping Hands as part of a series of donations for the money raised by 5p carrier bag sales throughout 2019. The total raised by all stores was £19,515 and this share comes from the carrier bag sales from our Thetford store.
£7256 donation to East Anglian Air Ambulance
13th January 2020
Roys has donated £7256 to the East Anglian Air Ambulance in the first of a series of donations for the money raised by 5p carrier bag sales throughout 2019. The total raised by all stores was £19,515 and this share comes from the carrier bag sales from our Wroxham Food Hall and our Beccles store.
Full article on our news page
£250 donation to 1st Mattishal & District Scout Group
14th December 2019
Staff in our Dereham store have had the pleasure of presenting a cheque for £250 to 1st Matishall & District Scout Group. The money, which comes from our MADL (Making A Difference Locally Fund), will be used to replace old and unrepairable equipment such as a gas fridge, tents and portable stoves.
Roys donates £1,000 to East Ruston Village Hall
13th December 2019
Roys is proud to annouce the donation of £1,000 to East Ruston Village Hall towards the ongoing repairs to the building. The building currently has a leaking roof and is in need of new front doors.
Full article on our news page
Roys staff pull on a festive knit for charity
13th December 2019
Friday 13th December is Christmas Jumper Day and the staff in our Wroxham stores and office were happy to do their bit in a festive knit to help raise money for charity. Money raised will go to Save The Children.
Roys Thetford donates £250 to Town Council Cemetery Committee
11th December 2019
Roys of Thetford were delighted to welcome Mayor Brenda Canham, along with members of Thetford Town Council Cemetery Committee, to present a MADL cheque for £250. The money will be used to help with refurbishing the memorial garden within the town's cemetery, helping to provide a tranquil place for people wanting to pay respects to their loved ones. The money comes from Roys making A Difference Locally fund which generates money through sales of Co-operative & heritage branded products in our stores.
Highway Garden & Leisure's Christmas shopping evening raises £1,000 for E.A.C.H.
20th November 2019
On Wednesday staff at Highway had the pleasure of being able to present a cheque of £1,000 to East Anglian Children's Hopices Nook Appeal. The money was raised by the charity raffle at Highway's Christmas Shopping Evening, held on 6th November.
Roys staff raise over £2,000 for Children in Need
15th November 2019
Staff from Roys stores across Norfolk & Suffolk, as well as Highway Garden & Leisure dressed up today to help raise money for Children in Need. In total the stores raised £2,246, all of which is thanks to generous donations from Roys customers, staff and £167 from the local Lions Club raising money at our Bowthorpe store.
£1,172 raised in Roys Christmas Shopping Evening 2019's Charity Raffle
13th November 2019
Roys are proud to announce that the charity raffle held on 12th November as the culmination of our Christmas Shopping Evening raised £1,172. The money will be donated to Leukaemia UK.
Over £1440 donated and 84 good causes helped this July
31st October 2019
During September & October Roys have made over £1440 worth of donations to 84 different charities & good causes. £790 was raised as part of Wear it Pink Day and £250 was donated to Hoveton Village Hall through our making A Difference Locally fund to help with the setting up of their new cinema club. Eighty two other good causes were also helped, the majority of which were local. Most of these causes were helped via the donation of raffle prizes which will hopefully enable the charities to raise even more money.
£790 raised for Wear it Pink Day
18th October 2019
Staff in our Wroxham & Hoveton stores dressed up in pink today for Wear It Pink, raising £790. The money raised is thanks to generous donations from Roys customers & staff and will go to Breast Cancer Now, the Uk's largest breast cancer charity.
Over £400 donated and 29 good causes helped this July
30th August 2019
This August Roys have made over £400 worth of donations to 29 different charities & good causes. £288 of the money donated was through our Making A Difference Locally fund, helping Frettenham village provide a bench for a new park and the charity Sense purchase a hanging egg chair for a sense garden they are creating. Twenty seven other good causes were also helped, the majority of which were local. Most of these causes were helped via the donation of raffle prizes which will hopefully enable the charities to raise even more money.
Roys donate £238 to provide new bench to Frettenham Village
1st August 2019
Frettenham village is currently working on a project to create a park in the village and recently approached Roys for help with the project. The village had already secured all the funding it needed for play equipment but was now trying to source donations to provide some of the necessary extras for the park such as benches. Roys have donated £238, enough to provide a bench for the park. The bench will be made of recycled plastic, saving plastic from going to landfill and also requiring far less mainteneance than a wooden bench.
Over £1000 donated and 34 good causes helped this July
31st July 2019
This July Roys have made over £1,000 worth of donations to 34 different charities & good causes. £850 of the money donated was through our Making A Difference Locally fund, going to Colman Junior Scool, Stalham & Smallburgh First Responders and North Walsham's Men's Shed. Thirty one other good causes were also helped through product donations and raffle prize requests, which will hopefully help to raise even more money. We're also proud to say the vast majority of these causes helped were local ones.
Roys donate £100 to North Walsham Men's Shed
20th July 2019
Roys is proud to annouce the donation of £100 to North Walsham Men's Shed. The Men's Shed is a national organisation that is spreading across the country to help and support health, well-being & loneliness. The money donated will be used for items to keep the group with day to day projects such as tools, paint, screws, nails and much more.
Roys donate £250 to Stalham & Smallburgh First Responders
19th July 2019
Roys is proud to announce the donation of £250 to Stalham & Smallburgh First Responders to help towards the purchase of a Defibrillator Trainer which they will use to train members of the public on how to use publicly accessible defibrillators.
Full article on our news page
Roys donate £500 to Colman Junior School
9th July 2019
Roys is proud to announce that we have donated £500 to Colman Junior School towards building a new outdoor play area. The PTA has now raise over £10,500 towards the play area which include money bars, balance beams and much more.
Full article on our news page
Over 120 good causes & more than £600 donated since March
31st June 2019
During April, May & June Roys have made over £600 worth of donations to more than 120 charities & good causes. This is on top of any MADL (Making A Difference Locally) donations made during this time period. The majority of the donations were for raffle prize requests for events that will hopefully raise even more money for the causes, most of which are local.
Roys donate £500 to Coltishall Primary School
15th May 2019
Roys is proud to announce that we have donated £500 to Coltishall Primary School towards the £5000 they need to create an outdoor learning & wildlife area. The school aims for the area to help develop a multitude of skills delivered outdoors, all which have proven benefits to children, along with opportunities to the pupils and community, especially to those that come from less privileged backgrounds.
Full article on our news page
£100 donated to Aylmerton Community Allotment
1st May 2019
Roys have donated £100 to Wellbeing Services Norfolk to help them with funding the Aylmerton Community Allotment. Wellbeing Services support people to improve their wellbeing, manage stress, low mood, anxiety and reduce the onset of ill mental health. The allotment provides a place of support to meet like-minded people in a relaxed and informal setting. The money has come from Roys Making a difference Locally fund which generates money through sales of Co-operative & heritage branded products in our stores.
Over £1,000 donated & 45 Good Causes helped this March
31st March 2019
This March Roys have made over £1,000 worth of donations to 45 different charities & good causes. £750 of the money donated was through our Making A Difference Locally fund however the majority of the causes helped were from raffle prize requests for events that will hopefully raise even more money. We're also proud to say that many of the causes donated to were local charities or groups.
£500 to improve sensory garden at Coltishall & Horstead Preschool
26th March 2019
Roys have donated £500 to Coltishall & Horstead Preschool to help them with their project to improve their sensory garden. The money has helped them to build a sensory path which is accessible to wheelchairs, add a new storage shed, music area, bird table & sensory plants.
£250 to help 2nd Beccles Scouts replace stolen equipment
8th March 2019
Last year 2nd Beccles Scout Hut was broken into and over £10,000 worth equipment was stolen. The items stolen included archery equipment, stationery and several tents. The scout group approached us towards the end of last year to ask for a donation and Roys is happy to have donated £250 towards replacing the equipment and improving the security at the hut.
£500 to help fund Dereham CoE Infant School's new roof
25th February 2019
Recently the Dereham Church of England Infant School contacted Roys asking if we could help with the cost of replacing the school roof. The roof has been leaking for some time and in various places, resulting in frequent repair bills. Replacing the roof will cost around £200,000 and despite a grant from the Department of Education it is still something they cannot afford without fundraising and Roys is happy to have donated £500 towards the replacement.
This week Roys will be sending out donation cheques to charities totalling £5816!
13th February 2019
The money has been raised through in-store events, collection pots and staff fundraising throughout 2018. Seven charities will receive a donation including East Anglian Air Ambulance, Nelson’s Journey, Save the Children, Each and Cancer Support UK.
The wishing well located in Roys of Wroxham food Hall has been emptied and counted and due to the generosity of our customers we are able to donate £435 to East Norfolk riding for the disabled!
Over £500 donated & 28 Good Causes Helped This January
January 2019
This January Roys have made over £500 worth of donations to 28 different charities & good causes. Over half the money donated was through our Making A Difference Locally fund however the majority of the causes helped were from raffle prize requests for events that will hopefully raise even more money. We're also proud to say that 23 of the 28 causes donated to were local charities or groups.
£100 Donation to Dereham Men's Shed
January 2019
Dereham Men's Shed aims to combat loneliness and isolation by providing a meeting place for men to come together, socialise and pass skills onto each other. They keep their membership fees as low as possible to avoid excluding anyone and so rely on the support of local charities and businesses to help fund the project. Roys' £100 donation comes from our MADL (Making A Difference Locally) fund and will help with the day to day running of the group.
£250 Donation to Asperger East Anglia
January 2019
Roys have donated £250 from our MADL (Making A Difference Locally) fund to Asperger East Anglia after they approached us as part of their recent fundraising campaign. The charity, which supports people with Asperger Syndrome and provides social groups in Norwich & Beccles has no funding support and was at serious risk of closure.
Charity of the Year Donation - EACH Nook Appeal
January 2019
We were so proud to start the year off with a donation of over £15,000 to the EACH Nook Appeal, our charity of the year last year. This donation brings the total up to £27,377.87! We are so thankful that we were able to raise this impressive sum and to pass it to such a worthy cause. This year each of our stores have chosen their own charity, we hope we can make a difference in the communities all over Norfolk & Suffolk.
Full article on our news page
Skill Cards & Books for the 1st Wroxham Guides
January 2019
It was our pleasure to donate £250 to the 1st Wroxham Guides to help with purchasing the new Guide Meeting Activity skill cards and books, which are required on the new Girlguiding programme. The pack covers six different learning zones, including ‘Take Action’, ‘Skills for my Future’ and ‘Have Adventures’.
Stores Christmas Jumper Day 2018
December 2018
Friday 14th December is Christmas Jumper Day and the staff in our Wroxham stores and office were happy to do their bit in a festive knit to help raise money for charity. Money raised will go to East Anglian's Children's Hospices, Roys charity of the year 2018.
The Wroxham Christmas Shopping Evening 2018
November 2018
Roys Christmas Shopping Evening was held on Tuesday 14th November. The culmination of the evening was the charity raffle, which raised £1,054 for East Anglian's Children's Hospices. Over 50 prizes with a combined value of over £3000 were available to be won and there were many happy winners.
Making a Difference Locally
MADL (Making a difference locally) is a charity organisation that we've partnered with to support good causes in the local community. They help us to raise money which we donate to local charities and good causes in the community such as schools, churches, children’s groups, environmental projects and much more. In 2020 £12,400 was donated (up from £6,388 in 2019, and £2,725 in 2018) to causes like these, helping Roys give something back to the local communities that have supported them for the last 125 years.
In 2020 through MADL we donated:
£12,400
to well deserving local charitable causes & projectsHow it Works
Donations are made into our charity fund based on the sales of selected grocery products as indicated in our leaflets. Roys then donate money from this fund to local charities and good causes.
Meet our charities of the year
Following the success of the scheme the past couple of years Roys will be having 10 charities of the year for 2021, with our stores each supporting their own charities. Roys will also continue to donate to other charities and groups with the MADL fund and try to help with as many other requests as possible.
East Anglian Air Ambulance
Wroxham Food Hall, DIY Centre, Petrol Station, Head Office and Pinetrees Warehouse
"East Anglian Air Ambulance is a charity providing helicopter emergency medical service for the people of East Anglia. Since our launch in 2000 we have attended over 24,000 lifesaving missions, touching the lives of many thousands of people."
Norfolk Accident & Rescue Service
Wroxham Department Store, Garden Centre & Toy Shop
"NARS has been in existence for nearly 50 years, providing life-saving services to the people of Norfolk. Our aim is to build an organisation which is sustainable and which will continue to provide excellent critical care, whenever and wherever it’s needed, into the future."
Priscilla Bacon Hospice
Bowthorpe
"The new Priscilla Bacon Hospice will provide people in Norfolk with the quality end-of-life care they desperately need. It will be the most modern facility in the region, with a greater number of beds and a wider range of community day care and out patient services."
The Bridge Project
Sudbury
"Here at The Bridge we have a passion for our community and empowering people to live well. We are dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable residents in our community – our doors are open to you."
Beccles Men's Shed
Beccles
"Our members enjoy friendship, conversation and friendly banter in the Shed, while joining in the various projects. People that were lonely or isolated soon realise they can join in, make friends and know their efforts are valued. Although we are a ‘Men’s Shed’ ladies are welcome to join us."
MAP - Here for young people finding their way
Magdalen Street
"Our mission is to ensure young people have the access to quality information, advice, counselling and support they need for their holistic development."
PACT Animal Sanctury
Dereham
"PACT rescues, rehabilitates and where possible re-homes, neglected, injured and abandoned animals. Our speciality is “problem animals”, victims of physical or mental abuse. They are coaxed back to health, overcoming their behavioural distress and restoring their dignity."
Nelson's Journey
Thetford
"Our vision is that every bereaved child in Norfolk will look forward to a positive future, and feel empowered enough to reach their full potential. Our ambition is perhaps best summarised by our strap line: bringing back smiles."
Mundesley Volunteer Inshore Lifeboat
North Walsham
"The boat is on call 365 days per year, 24 hours a day. The lifeboat has a crew of volunteers who are trained in all aspects of rescue work, boat handling, first aid navigation etc. Training is undertaken all year round on a regular basis and the crew are on duty every Sunday and Bank Holiday during the summer."
Nelson's Journey
Highway Garden & Leisure
"Our vision is that every bereaved child in Norfolk will look forward to a positive future, and feel empowered enough to reach their full potential. Our ambition is perhaps best summarised by our strap line: bringing back smiles."
How the money is raised
These donations are made possible by the 5p carrier bag charge. The vast majority of money raised for these good causes comes directly from sale of our carrier bags, so every time you buy a carrier bag in one our stores you're helping a great charity!
In 2020 we raised money for 10 charities which received the following donations; £4939 to Faith Animal Rescue (raised by our Wroxham Food Hall, DIY Centre, Fuel Station, Head Office and Norwich Distribution Centre), £1950 to Norfolk Accident Rescue Service raised by our Wroxham Department Store, Garden Centre & Toy Shop), £3617 to the Friends of Harford manor School (raised by our Bowthorpe store), £917 to Beccles Lions Club (raised by our Beccles store), £374 to St Martins (raised by our Dereham store), £1264 to Norfolk & Waveney Mind (raised by our Magdalen Street store), £357 to Friends of Horsey Seals (raised by our North Walsham store), £900 to The Bridge (raised by our Sudbury store), £968 to Nelson's Journey (raised by our Thetford store) and £401 to East Anglian Air Ambulance (raised by our Highway store).
To be considered for the MADL fund or to ask for a raffle donation please contact enquiries@roys.co.uk telling us a bit about your charity or project and how you would like help.