Enfield Co-operative helps raise £3.5m for RNID

The money was donated to the Royal National Institute of the Deaf (RNID) by Co-operatives throughout the country, but the Enfield branch was one of the top donors.

The Unity food store, in Hertford Road, contributed £2,154 towards the £3.5m total, raised in only 11 months.

A representative from RNID, the deafness and hearing loss charity, will present the till receipt to the Unity store to mark the achievement.

The receipt will also highlight that 110,000 hearing checks were performed last year during the Co-operative initiative, which aimed to increase awareness of hearing health.

Smashing the £2m fundraising target, the £3.5m total is a record amount raised for RNID and the largest amount ever raised for one charity by The Co-operative’s family of businesses.

In Enfield, among the fundraising activities were a beach party, a Fairtrade stall and a non-uniform day.

They money will fund the expansion of RNID’s Hear to Help Service, which trains volunteers, many of whom suffer from hearing loss, to provide support to hearing aid users in their local communities.

Enfield store manager Raj Sutha said: “We’ve had a great time fundraising and are proud that together our staff, members and customers have helped raise a massive £3.5m for RNID.

"It has been a real co-operative effort and we would like to thank all our shoppers in Enfield for digging deep in their pockets and supporting our staff in raising so much for this worthwhile charity.”

RNID chief executive Jackie Ballard added: “This is a fantastic achievement and I want to thank Co-operative staff for the enthusiasm and energy they have put into our partnership.

“It has been a pleasure to work with such a dedicated team of people.

“Not only has The Co-operative beaten its fundraising goal by a mile, but it has embraced RNID’s cause and helped us to raise awareness of the impact of hearing loss and the importance of checking your hearing regularly.”