Lidl Northern Ireland in Fresh Partnership with NSPCC

Charity bags £300,000 in funds with Lidl Northern Ireland ahead of renewed partnership

Lidl Northern Ireland today announced the extension of its charity partnership with NSPCC Northern Ireland until 2021, following a successful two-year alliance which saw the retailer raise over £300,000 in funding for the local charity.

Established in 2017, a key objective of the partnership included an initial fundraising target of £250,000 which, thanks to the efforts of Lidl Northern Ireland staff and local shoppers, has been far exceeded. Given the success of the initiative to date, Lidl Northern Ireland has now committed to a fundraising target of £500,000 by 2021.

The corporate partnership was developed to help the charity reach children in every primary school across Northern Ireland with its ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ programme. These interactive assemblies and workshops are designed to give a generation of children the knowledge and understanding they need to stay safe from abuse and neglect.

The NSPCC Northern Ireland operates three service centres in Belfast, Foyle and Craigavon and two Childline bases in Belfast and Foyle.

Dame Esther Rantzen DBE, Childline Founder and NSPCC Ambassador, said:

“Lidl Northern Ireland has been a fantastic partner and we are thrilled to have their support for another year. I recently visited staff at the Junction One store in Antrim and I was very impressed with their commitment and dedication to exceeding their fundraising target.

I am honoured to accept this cheque on behalf of NSPCC Northern Ireland and I thank Lidl for their continued support in enabling us to reach vulnerable children, young people and families across Northern Ireland.”

Angela Connan, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Lidl Northern Ireland, said:

“Over the past two years, we have embraced our charity partnership as a central initiative in our Lidl Community Works pillar of our CSR strategy, ‘A Better Tomorrow’, which aims to positively contribute to the communities in which we live and operate.

We know the difference that programmes such as ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ can make to young people and the invaluable services that NSPCC carry out every day. We are proud to be an official charity partner with NSPCC Northern Ireland and we are delighted to extend this partnership for another year.

The impact this partnership has had on our staff, community and our business has been enormous – from enabling staff volunteering initiatives to connecting with our communities to fundraise in-store through a wide range of fun activities.

The partnership is a great example of how business and charities can work together cohesively for the common good and we’re proud to extend this partnership until 2021 and continue to join in the fight for every child.”

For more information please visit www.abettertomorrow-lidl-ni.co.uk