Tesco turns red for Air Ambulance

A Portstewart woman’s charity initiative has resulted in 27 Tesco stores across the province turning red for the weekend to help raise over £20,000 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland with donations still coming in.
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Tesco Community Champion Emma McKean initiated the fundraising idea following a visit to the Air Ambulance base where she was able to see first-hand the impact the charity has throughout the country.

Emma arranged for Tesco stores across Northern Ireland to turn red for the weekend to raise vital funds for the charity, in line with Covid-19 guidelines. Tesco colleagues, along with 36 Air Ambulance NI volunteers, joined forces to raise a staggering total of over £20,000.

15 staff at the Coleraine store added to the fundraising effort by taking part in Belfast City Marathon contributing £3,000 to the total, whilst another store created a model helicopter which raised over £1,000 alone.

Emma McKean, Tesco Community Champion Portstewart, with Dr Darren Monaghan, HEMA clinical leadEmma McKean, Tesco Community Champion Portstewart, with Dr Darren Monaghan, HEMA clinical lead
Emma McKean, Tesco Community Champion Portstewart, with Dr Darren Monaghan, HEMA clinical lead

The charity relies on funds to provide its vital services and Tesco has previously supported their efforts through bag packs, donated vouchers as well asa grant from the Community Grand Scheme, which uses the money raised from the levy on carrier bags to fund projects across the UK.

Tesco has also supported Air Ambulance NI in the lead up to the International North West 200, Ireland’s largest outdoor sporting event, by instore fundraising.

Emma added: “It’s inspiring to see the dedication of Air Ambulance NI to help those in need. Many lives throughout the country have been saved due to the work that they do. It was great to be able to give back to the charity and raise money for such a great cause.

“Tesco is committed to helping those in need and we are so proud of the various charity work we do throughout our stores.”